Body found in Grand Canyon identified as missing pilot who vanished with two friends
Human remains found in the Grand Canyon this week have been identified as a missing pilot who vanished alongside two friends during deadly flash floods.
Timothy Allen Smith had been missing since Aug. 29, when floodwaters devastated Phantom Ranch along the canyon floor and damaged the key pipeline supplying the South Rim.
Smith, a 53-year-old pilot from Star Valley in western Wyoming, was located Monday near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, which winds through the canyon.
Authorities had previously recovered the bodies of his two backcountry hiking partners, Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and John Giusti, 46, both residents of Granbury, Texas.
Smith grew up in Granbury and lived with his wife in Star Valley Ranch, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Jackson. He, Rosenkranz, and Giusti were on a multi-day hiking, fishing, and camping trip when the flash floods swept through the Grand Canyon.
Searchers used night vision and specialized tools over two days to locate stranded hikers. Teams referenced the Grand Canyon National Park permit system and checked license plates to track missing visitors and ultimately saved or located over 80 people.
Eventually, only Smith remained unaccounted for. In a Facebook video posted at the time, his wife, Carrie, alongside their children, expressed gratitude for the ongoing prayers and public support.
On Tuesday morning, Carrie Smith said on Facebook that the family was aware a body was recovered the previous day and asked supporters to pray with them.
She confirmed in a Facebook update on Thursday that the body was her husbandβs.
"My family has done a lot of waiting over the last three weeks β¦ waiting and hoping Tim (Daddy) would come home, waiting and wondering if the remains found were Tim (Daddy)," she wrote. "We no longer have to wait, Tim was found two days ago by the Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park. Not in the way we had hoped, but we know that he was doing something he loved with John and Brent."
She added, "We know that these three men loved the Lord and were a shining light for Him. The impact their lives had on others is still being shown to our families daily."
The flooding came during the summer monsoon rainy season, when clear skies can rapidly yield severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. The arid landscape can channel a deluge into rapid torrents rushing down dry gullies and ravines.
Rain fell across a portion of a North Rim burn scar left by a lightning-sparked wildfire in July 2025. That fire previously destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, cabins, and additional structures.
Burned areas often exacerbate flash flooding due to the lack of vegetation needed to absorb water runoff.
The flood damaged a pipeline spanning the canyon that delivers water to millions of residents and visitors. Water shortages forced a pause on overnight stays until the supply line could be restored. National Park Service officials recently stated they expect to re-establish a reliable water supply within weeks, not months, after finding that most of an almost-completed pipeline project was undamaged during the flash flood.
Multiple hiking trails and lodging areas remain closed, with water shut off throughout the inner canyon, prompting advisories for visitors to carry their own water or filtration devices.
