Grand Canyon, Ariz. - The body of a man recovered from below Lookout Studio on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park has been identified as that of 28 year-old Ryan Thomas Cunningham of Gridley, California.
At approximately 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 5, 2011, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call from a park visitor reporting a man over the edge below Lookout Studio.
Mr. Cunningham’s body was located more than 200 feet below the rim after rangers called in the park helicopter to help search for the man. Members of the park’s technical rescue team hiked a short distance down the Bright Angel Trail, then traversed the canyon’s edge to reach the body.
Mr. Cunningham’s body was flow out the canyon via helicopter to the South Rim. His body was transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner and transported to Flagstaff, Arizona.
Upon completion of an investigation by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner, his death was ruled as a suicide.
-NPS-
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
