Grand Canyon, Ariz. - On Thursday, April 26, at approximately 5 p.m. rangers in Grand Canyon National Park received a report from the Peregrine Fund of a possible body spotted below the South Rim in the Mather Point area. Peregrine Fund staff spotted what appeared to be a body while observing condor activity in the park. Due to poor weather conditions and the late hour, rangers had to wait until Friday to confirm the report.
This morning, rangers were able to visually confirm that a body had been found; and at approximately, 11 a.m., rangers rappelled about 500 feet below the rim west of Mather Point and traversed to the body to begin their investigations and prepare the body for transport. At approximately 4:30 p.m., the body was retrieved via helicopter and transported to the park's Emergency Operations Center where it was transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.
The body has been presumptively identified as that of 47-year old Shaw Joseph Ostermann of Tempe, Arizona whom rangers had been attempting to locate since April 16, 2012 when his car was identified as possibly abandoned in a parking lot near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and Mather Point.
An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service with the assistance of the Coconino County Medical Examiner.
No additional information is available at this time.
-NPS-
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
