Latest news with #CoconinoCounty
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Breathtaking update after 32-year-old woman goes missing from campsite near steep Arizona canyon
A hiker who went missing near a steep Arizona canyon has been found alive and was rescued after three days in the wilderness. Janelle Banda, 32, was camping with her father, David, when she mysteriously wandered from the campsite in Coconino County at around 10.30pm on Friday, Fox 10 reports. The area she was last spotted in is called the Edge of the World, near Woody Mountain Road overlooking Bear Sign Canyon. Authorities suspected Banda descended into a nearby side canyon, but never returned to her campsite. Search crews began scouring the area overnight, but came up empty. They then continued their search efforts on Saturday, and when Banda was still not found, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office called in additional resources. 'The operation continued with personnel from the Arizona DPS Air Rescue, Coconino, Yavapai and Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue units,' the Coconino County Sheriff's Office said. 'Despite these efforts, no further signs of the missing woman were discovered and plans were made to intensify the search on Monday.' Banda was ultimately located at around noon, with her sister claiming to Fox 10 she was found by someone who decided to rappel near the bottom of Bear Sign Canyon. 'The Pinal County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit responded with a Super Huey helicopter and performed a hoist rescue,' the Coconino Sheriff's Office said. 'The woman was flown to the Sedona Airport, where Sedona Fire Department personnel transported her to Verde Valley Medical Center for further treatment.' She was dehydrated and suffered from minor injuries, according to ABC 15. Still, the news was a miracle for Banda's family, who spent the weekend praying for the best, but mentally preparing themselves for the worst. 'It's a lot,' said her sister, Sarah Banda. 'It's so heavy, but now, it's a good heavy.' She explained that her family kept its faith even through the darkest moments. 'Even when we felt at our lowest... usually by the end of the day, you feel it, right? It's dark and we know she's alone, but we were like, "Wherever she is, we will find her."' Now that Janelle has been rescued, Sarah says she just wants to 'see her so badly.' 'I was told that my dad got to talk to her and she's saying that she just wants to see her family,' Sarah added, noting that the entire ordeal has only strengthened her love for her sister. 'Truly, you're thinking, "How do you go" - for me, "How do I go about without my sister?" 'But now that she's here, I get to appreciate every moment that I have with her even more so than ever before.' Sarah also said her family is grateful for the prayers and various offers to help search for her sister.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
K9 Dex nabs suspects accused of having 35,000 pills in Coconino County
The Brief K9 Dex is credited with helping discover about 35,000 fentanyl pills allegedly hidden inside a car in Coconino County on May 19. Deputies arrested driver Jose Nidome-Chavez, 30, and Carmen Ramirez-Acosta, 28, who was a passenger. COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. - K9 Dex helped the Coconino County Sheriff's Office catch two people accused of having seven pounds of fentanyl in northern Arizona. What we know On May 19 around 8 p.m., a K9 unit conducted a traffic stop on a car reportedly involved in a traffic violation on I-17 southbound near Newman Park Road in the Munds Park community. "During the traffic stop, K9 Dex was deployed to sniff the vehicle. Dex alerted to the odor of an illegal substance. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 7.84 lbs of suspected fentanyl (approximately 35,000 pills) with a street value of $120,000.00," the sheriff's office said in a May 20 news release. The driver, Jose Nidome-Chavez, 30, and the passenger, Carmen Ramirez-Acosta, 28, were arrested. They were booked into jail on suspicion of transportation of narcotic drugs for sale. The case remains under investigation. What we don't know The sheriff's office didn't say what traffic violation prompted deputies to pull the suspects over.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
74-year-old hiker dies while attempting rim-to-rim hike at Grand Canyon
A 74-year-old man died while hiking the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said Monday. The man, identified as Dennis Smith of Olympia, Washington, was attempting to hike from the canyon's South Rim to the North Rim, the park service said. The rim-to-rim trek covers a distance of about 24 miles and is described as a "strenuous" hike by the National Park Foundation. Smith, who was an "avid and experienced hiker," according to the park service, was found unresponsive on North Kaibab Trail at around 4:45 p.m. last Thursday. The park service describes the trail as "the least visited and most difficult of the major inner canyon trails at Grand Canyon National Park." Bystanders and park service personnel attempted to resuscitate Smith, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of death was not shared. His death is under investigation by the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office. The Grand Canyon's North Kaibab Trail, near Coconino Overlook. NPS/Michael Quinn People doing a rim-to-rim hike are recommended to start before the sun rises and take a break during the hottest part of the day to avoid heat-related illnesses, the National Park Foundation said. The park service warned that the Grand Canyon will experience extreme heat in the coming days. Temperatures in the inner canyon are expected to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so visitors should avoid the area between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those attempting difficult treks like the rim-to-rim hike that involve the inner canyon are "encouraged to be self-reliant to prevent emergency situations for themselves and responders," the park service said. They should also monitor inner canyon conditions. "Be aware that efforts to assist hikers may be delayed due to limited staff, the number of rescue calls, and employee safety requirements," the park service said. About 10 people die at the Grand Canyon every year, CBS affiliate AZFamily reported. This is the first death at the park that the park service has reported this year. A 33-year-old hiker died at Arizona's Gold Canyon, near Phoenix, amid unseasonably warm temperatures on May 11. Four other hikers who had been with him said they had been hiking for about six hours when he had a seizure and fell unconscious. The hikers had run out of water and were suffering from heat-related illnesses, the survivors said. First responders later pronounced the man dead at the scene.
