The National Park Service scaled back its search efforts Monday for Morgan Heimer, a 22-year-old former English major at UW, after six days of searching with no success.
Heimer, working for Tour West, a whitewater river-rafting touring company, was on the sixth day of an eight-day tour of the Colorado River on June 2, when he was last seen at 4 p.m. near Pumpkin Springs, a distinctive pool in central Grand Canyon National Park. Park rangers initially focused on a five mile stretch of Pumpkin Springs, but also searched up to 12 miles west of the area.
Susan Harding, Tour West president, said this is the first time anyone has gone missing on a Tour West tour.
“Nobody has ever gone missing on one of our trips,” Harding said. “He was on a contained beach with over 30 people, and we have never had something like this happen.”
A member of the river trip reported Heimer missing via a satellite phone to the National Park Service at approximately 8 p.m. on June 2.
In a press release dated June 4, the National Park Service said there would be “three ground teams and one river team,” and the teams would be facing “difficult terrain and deep water with a strong current.”
On Monday park officials called off the active search, but will still have rangers looking out for clues while they are in the area, as well as having pilots looking when they are flying over the area.
“With no additional clues to guide search efforts on land or water, the search will be scaled back to a continuous, but limited mode in which rangers and pilots will continue to search for clues when in the area,” the release read.
Heimer was last seen wearing a personal flotation device, brightly colored shorts and a maroon baseball cap. Fliers with a description of Heimer and his picture are posted in various locations near where he went missing, and all river trips will be briefed on the search for Heimer.
Though Heimer attended UW in the spring, he is not enrolled for coming fall semester.
Jason Harding, Tour West operations manager, said Heimer was learning a new profession when he went missing.
“He was a guide in training,” Harding said. “He navigated the river, took care of our clients and cooked meals for them.”
In Arizona a missing person is not pronounced dead until they have been missing for five years.
