Buzz
The Grand Canyon stands as an unparalleled wonder of nature. Its vast expanse and breathtaking views are nearly impossible to capture in a photograph. For centuries, the awe-inspiring chasm has drawn visitors who have been mesmerized by its immensity and natural beauty.
Since the Grand Canyon's designation as a national park in 1919, nearly 700 lives have been tragically lost within its bounds. The following ten stories delve into not only horrific crimes but also unimaginable accidents, misfortunes, and enigmas that paint a different picture of this seemingly peaceful environment.
10. The Curse of the Relics
In 1879, Don Maguire, a trader journeying across Arizona, encountered Emma Lee by the Colorado River. In exchange for some of his supplies, Lee gifted him a beautiful Navajo blanket, cautioning him about its dark history. She explained how the blanket had cursed her late husband, bringing him misfortune until his death. Undeterred by superstition, Maguire continued his journey the following day. Over the next two years, he documented the countless disasters he endured, all of which ceased when he parted ways with the cursed blanket.
The Grand Canyon is often associated with stories of cursed Native American relics. In fact, park rangers frequently receive letters from visitors who seek to return stolen items. These artifacts, such as pottery taken from sacred burial sites, are often returned after the thief experiences intense misfortune. According to the rangers, the common explanation for these returns is that the individuals have endured "extreme bad luck, plagues, and illnesses" ever since taking the artifacts.
9. Frightened to the Point of Death
The Grand Canyon is inhabited by a range of dangerous creatures that roam the vast terrain. Among these are mountain lions, black bears, and elk, which represent just a small portion of the wildlife present. Some of these animals, like the rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegates), are notorious for their vicious bites and unprovoked attacks, making them some of the most perilous creatures in the park.
A particularly strange wildlife encounter occurred in 1933. A 43-year-old prospector from California, named Cochrane, was hiking along the Snake Gulch path when he unexpectedly encountered a rattlesnake. Cochrane, known to be "terrified of snakes," suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. Interestingly, there has never been a documented case of a rattlesnake bite leading to death in the Grand Canyon.
8. The Cold-Case Investigation Team
Over the past century, there have been numerous reports of skeletal remains discovered throughout the Grand Canyon. These grim findings make sense when considering the vast number of cold cases the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to solve. The county’s cold-case squad has been working tirelessly to investigate mysterious disappearances, unresolved deaths, homicides, and to identify human remains.
One of the ongoing investigations is a murder that took place at the North Rim of the canyon in 1975. All that was left at the scene was a bloody shirt with 36 stab wounds, which authorities believe—with details not made public—belonged to a woman killed by members of a notorious motorcycle gang known as the Outlaws.
The official death toll at the Grand Canyon is still unknown, as are the identities of many victims whose deaths range from accidents, suicides, swift murders, to slow torture. Some victims have been given names like “Little Miss X” and “Valentine Sally” in an attempt to create an identity for them. The cold-case squad continues to piece together the stories of these past crimes, hoping to bring closure, if not to the victims' families, then to the spirits that still haunt the canyon’s grounds.
7. A Means To An End
The Grand Canyon has unfortunately become a site for several suicide attempts, some of which are tragically bizarre. A case in point: 36-year-old Patricia Astolfo, who had watched the film Thelma and Louise more than 50 times, tried to drive her car off the canyon’s edge. The suspension of her car, however, caught on a rocky outcrop, thwarting her attempt. Unfazed, Patricia then jumped over the cliff, only to land on a boulder 6 meters (20 ft) below. Bloodied and battered, she crawled to the edge and rolled off, ultimately meeting her death.
Driving off the Grand Canyon's rim in an attempt to end one's life is unfortunately not an isolated incident. In 2009, 57-year-old Gheorge Chiriac left the El Tovar Hotel and drove his car straight over the edge of the South Rim, adding to the dark history of similar events.
One of the most surreal suicides occurred in 2004 when a man in his twenties, while on a scenic helicopter tour, suddenly jumped out. The other passengers, who were left in utter disbelief, described the man as calm and normal only moments before he plunged 1,200 meters (4,000 ft) into the canyon’s depths.
6. El Tovar Hotel
Located a mere 6 meters (20 ft) from the South Rim, the El Tovar Hotel became a symbol of elegance when it opened its doors in 1905. Over the years, numerous guests have reported eerie encounters with ghostly apparitions, leaving many vowing never to return to the supposedly haunted establishment.
Just a few feet from the hotel’s front entrance lies a haunting mystery: a simple, unassuming gravestone bearing the inscription, “Pirl A. Ward: 1879–1934.” For over a century, both visitors and staff have claimed to witness a dark figure, draped in a black cape, walking from the stairway toward the grave before vanishing into the surrounding woods. Another well-known specter is that of a distinguished older gentleman seen on the third floor, who has been reported inviting guests to join the hotel's annual holiday celebrations.
From ghostly figures wandering the canyon's rocky paths to phantom workers laboring into the night, mysterious occurrences continue to draw tourists hoping to witness the supernatural for themselves.
5. Glen And Bessie Hyde
In a time when daring heroes were revered, newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde embarked on a perilous adventure, navigating the Grand Canyon’s rapids in the winter of 1928. A month later, their hand-crafted wooden boat was discovered floating upright and fully stocked in the cold canyon waters. Just days before, the couple had been on the South Rim restocking supplies when 22-year-old Bessie ominously remarked, “I wonder if I’ll ever wear pretty shoes again.”
When news of the Hydes' disappearance broke, newspapers across the country quickly picked up the story of the honeymooners, who were on track to set world records yet seemingly vanished without a trace. What would become one of the largest search efforts in Grand Canyon history turned up no evidence to explain their sudden disappearance. Speculation ran rampant, with theories ranging from the Hydes being murdered by Native Americans to drowning. In the end, their fate remains unsolved.
4. Robert Spangler
In 1978, Robert Spangler murdered his wife Nancy and their two children in their suburban Denver home. He staged the scene to suggest that Nancy had killed the children before taking her own life. Despite his hands testing positive for gunshot residue, police couldn't build a case against him, although detectives had long been suspicious. 15 years later, while on vacation at the Grand Canyon in 1993, Robert threw his third wife, Donna, off a ledge, sending her to her death 60 meters (200 ft) below.
Though detectives couldn’t prove that Donna’s death was anything more than an accidental fall, Robert was again cleared of murder. Thankfully, in 2000, Robert was diagnosed with terminal cancer, prompting investigator Paul Goodman to visit him, hoping he would confess. Goodman’s intuition proved accurate when Robert admitted to all four murders, seeking an explanation from FBI profilers as to “why he was so good at killing.” In March 2001, Robert was sentenced to life in prison and died just five months later.
3. Body Count
Among the many tragic events that have unfolded at the Grand Canyon—suicides, animal attacks, falls from the rim, lightning strikes—perhaps the most chilling are the numerous brutal murders of unsuspecting tourists. In January 1977, the bodies of Michael and Charlotte Sherman were discovered, both having been shot execution-style.
In 2006, swimmers found the body of 34-year-old Japanese tourist Tomomi Hanamure beneath a waterfall. She had been stabbed 29 times, eerily similar to the murder of 30-year-old Kim Quanimptewa, who was fatally stabbed at the South Rim a few years earlier. While homicides are not uncommon in national parks, the Grand Canyon has witnessed its share of particularly gruesome murders, many of which remain unsolved.
2. Midair Collision
On the morning of June 30, 1956, one of the deadliest airline disasters in American history occurred. Nearly an hour after departing Los Angeles International Airport, United Airlines Flight 718 and TWA Flight 2 collided over the Grand Canyon. Search teams located the wreckage the following day, and the Civil Aeronautics Board initiated an investigation. It was found that both pilots had strayed from their designated routes and were flying at the same altitude at the same time. Due to the cloud cover, by the time they saw each other, it was too late to prevent the crash.
All 128 individuals aboard the flight perished, and it took an entire year before a comprehensive, thorough investigation into the crash was released. The report attributed the incident to poor communication, turbulent weather, and the existing visual flight rules at the time. The crash site has since become a well-known tourist destination, unofficially called Crash Canyon. Even today, fragments of the wreckage are occasionally visible on clear days, with the reflective metal serving as a haunting reminder of the tragedy that occurred so long ago.
1. John Wesley Powell
In 1869, John Wesley Powell led the first group of white men to navigate the Colorado River, guiding them through the unexplored, fierce rapids of the Grand Canyon. As they reached the lower section of the canyon, Powell and his crew encountered massive, dangerous rapids that were thought to be impassable. Fearing for their lives, three men decided to part ways with the one-armed Civil War veteran, Powell, and attempt to climb the canyon cliffs.
Despite the peril, Powell and the remaining members of his team forged ahead into the wild, uncharted rapids. Miraculously, two days later, they arrived at the mouth of the Virgin River, where they were greeted by settlers on the riverbank. In an ironic twist, the three men who had abandoned the expedition in fear were eventually killed by Shivwit Native Americans, allegedly as retribution for the murder of a native woman.
