Grand Canyon Search Expands For Missing Arizona State Graduate Student

National Park Service crews are intensifying search-and-rescue operations along the Grand Canyon's South Rim for missing Arizona State University graduate student Sandarsh Krishna, last heard from April 27.

Officials say Krishna's last known location was on the Rim Trail off Hermit Road between Bright Angel Lodge and Mohave Point sometime between 4 p.m. April 27 and midnight April 28, 2026. He reportedly had no vehicle and may have used rideshare or taxi services, and his phone has shown no movement since that day.

More than 30 search and rescue personnel have been deployed across several days, using rim trail scanning, walk-down routes into the canyon, technical rope insertions, aerial reconnaissance flights and drones to comb remote and hazardous terrain. Rangers are focusing on the Hermit Road corridor and adjacent rim areas while the investigation and search continue.

Park officials say a black backpack believed to belong to Krishna was turned in to Bright Angel Lodge staff early April 28, and they are seeking to identify the person who returned it, emphasizing that individual is not a suspect but may help narrow the search area. Krishna, a 26-year-old computer science master's student from India, was due to graduate May 9, and his family has hired a private investigator as they plead for public help.