Body found at Grand Canyon identified as missing ASU graduate student

The body found at Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend has been identified as a missing Arizona State University student, authorities announced Tuesday.

Park personnel located the body of 26-year-old Sandarsh Krishna about 250 feet below the South Rim’s Verkamp’s Visitor Center on Saturday, according to the National Park Service. It was the same day Krishna had been schedule to graduate from ASU with a master’s degree in computer science.

The body was taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, which made the identification.

When did ASU student go missing at Grand Canyon?

Krishna was reported missing April 28, and he missed his final exams.

His family said he’d planned to hike at the Grand Canyon before going to Las Vegas to celebrate the completion of his degree.

“He’s kindhearted. He’s a genius. He’s great in math. He plays chess. He has a black belt in karate,” his sister-in-law, Dr. Pooja Shivananjappa, said during a recent news conference.

More than 50 people joined the search, which included helicopters, thermal drones and crews searching nearly 400 feet into the canyon.

Cell tower data placed Krishna’s phone somewhere between Mojave Point and Pima Point, a 4-mile stretch along the South Rim.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office has an ongoing investigation into Krishna’s death.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s David Iversen contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story originally published May 11, 2026.

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