The remains of a missing 26-year-old graduate student were discovered over the weekend after he disappeared while visiting the Grand Canyon. On Saturday, the body of Sandarsh Krishna was found near the Verkamp's Visitor Center close to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, according to a statement released by the National Park Service (NPS) on Tuesday.
Krishna, a computer science student at Arizona State University, had informed relatives on April 27 that he planned to stop at the South Rim on his way to Las Vegas. He also mentioned his intention to return in time for his final exams and graduation ceremony scheduled for Saturday. He was reported missing on April 28 after his family failed to hear from him. NPS officials stated he was last seen on the Rim Trail along Hermit Road at 4 p.m. on April 27.
Investigators believe Krishna may have used a rideshare or taxi service to reach his last known location. Around 7 a.m. on April 28, a hiker discovered a backpack believed to belong to Krishna and handed it over to staff at Bright Angel Lodge. This lodge is situated less than half a mile from the visitor center where his body was ultimately located.
His remains were transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of death has not been disclosed, and the investigation is ongoing, led by the National Park Service and the medical examiner's office.
Krishna's family had clung to hope that he was still alive, visiting the South Rim multiple times over the past week. Cellphone tower data indicated his last known location was between the Bright Angel Lodge and Mohave Point on the day he vanished. The family even hired a private investigator to aid in the search.
'We don't want to believe he's hurt,' Adarsh told KPNX. 'We need a proper closure. We don't know what exactly happened to him.'
Krishna moved to Arizona from India in 2024 to pursue a master's degree in computer science at Arizona State University. His loved ones described him as bright, kind, and deeply family-oriented. 'He has a helping hand,' said his sister-in-law Pooja Shivananjappa. 'As I said, he has the heart of a kid, and we terribly miss him.'
More than 30 search and rescue personnel were deployed over several days to locate Krishna. Crews employed various techniques, including trail scanning, walk-down routes into the canyon, technical rope insertions, aerial reconnaissance flights, and drone operations, park officials reported.
The Grand Canyon, one of the most popular natural attractions in the United States, is frequently ranked as the deadliest national park due to the number of fatalities occurring there annually. Most deaths result not from falls but from heat stroke and dehydration, as temperatures fluctuate dramatically at different elevations. Temperatures at the canyon floor are often significantly hotter than at the rim, and hikers who descend in cooler morning weather may find themselves trekking uphill for hours in extreme heat. Combined with unreliable cell service throughout the canyon, this can lead to dangerous outcomes for hikers. The NPS advises hikers to rest often in the shade, stay hydrated, and apply sunscreen throughout the day.
