The family of an Arizona State University student who vanished from the Grand Canyon just one week before his master's degree graduation is pleading for assistance in locating the individual who discovered his backpack. Sandrash Krishna, 26, informed relatives on April 27 that he intended to stop at the Grand Canyon's South Rim en route to Las Vegas, with plans to return for final exams and his graduation on May 9, according to Fox News.
Tragically, he has not been heard from since, leaving loved ones desperately seeking answers. His family has visited the South Rim multiple times over the past week, relying on cellphone tower data indicating Krishna's last known location between Bright Angel Lodge and Mohave Point on the day of his disappearance. His cellphone data has remained stationary, prompting the family to scour the area 'two to three times already,' as his sister-in-law Pooja Shivananjappa told AZFamily.
'We obviously don't want to give up, so we have taken our binoculars, we have walked the trail, we have done our own research,' she said. The family has even hired a private investigator to aid in the search. Krishna's brother, Adarsh Krishna, stated they 'don't want to believe he's hurt' and still hold hope 'that he's somewhere out there.' However, he added, 'We need proper closure. We don't know exactly what happened to him,' emphasizing that his brother is 'not the kind of kid who would hurt himself.'
Krishna moved to Arizona from India in 2024 to pursue a master's degree in computer science at Arizona State University. His loved ones describe him as bright, kind, and deeply family-oriented. 'He has a helping hand,' Shivananjappa said. 'As I said, he has the heart of a kid, and we terribly miss him.'
Family members and park officials are now seeking to speak with a good Samaritan who brought Krishna's backpack to the Bright Angel Lodge lost and found at approximately 7 a.m. on April 27. The man did not leave his name or indicate where he found the backpack, but authorities stress he is not considered a suspect. Instead, they hope he can provide details about the backpack's location to narrow the search area. 'This is the whole reason why we are calling, and we are reaching out to everybody to find the person who returned the backpack,' Shivananjappa said. 'This is a main piece of evidence as of now. If we can get to know the exact location of the backpack, we can focus on searching that specific area.'
Search efforts have intensified across the South Rim, with more than 30 search and rescue personnel deployed over recent days. Crews are utilizing trail scanning, walk-down routes into the canyon, technical rope insertions, aerial reconnaissance flights, and drone operations. Rangers are focusing on an area along Hermit Road. Krishna was last seen wearing black pants, a white hoodie, and black and white Jordans. He is described as 5-foot-10-inches, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He may have been using a rideshare or taxi service at the time of his disappearance.
Anyone with information about Krishna's whereabouts or the good Samaritan who turned in his backpack is urged to call the tip line at (888) 653-0009.
