Arizona woman dies from flood waters in Utah national park, officials say

PHOENIX — An Arizona woman died on Friday while hiking in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, authorities said.

Park officials said 64-year-old Jeanne Roblez Howell started hiking on the Fairyland Loop trail at around 2 p.m.

When she didn’t come home, officials received reports at around 7 p.m.

That’s when park officials started searching for Howell, who is from Sedona, the park announced on Saturday.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety helped them search for Howell, officials said.

Dangerous weather at the Bryce Canyon National Park

The park’s announcement suggested Howell was swept away by floods, which were caused by thunderstorms and heavy rain.

“A thunderstorm delivered heavy rain to the northern end of Bryce Canyon National Park on the afternoon of August 25,” the press release said. “Flash flooding was observed in dry washes along the eight-mile Fairyland Loop trail.”

Search teams found Howell’s body in the Campbell Canyon, which is around a mile east of the Fairyland Loop, at around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, officials said.

Bryce Canyon Superintendent Allana Olbrich said this was “a tragic event.”

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