On Saturday, February 16th, rangers recovered the body of 43-year-old Mihaly Szabo of Ypsilanti, Michigan, from a spot about 300 feet below the rim at an undeveloped viewpoint near the Buggeln picnic area on the South Rim. Rangers first noted what appeared to be an unattended vehicle in the picnic area on Wednesday, February 13th. Investigations on Thursday determined that the car was a rental and produced no evidence of recent activity near the vehicle. On Friday afternoon, a ground search was begun. A chair, camera and other personal items believed to belong to the driver of the vehicle were located nearby. A technical search team then began looking for the operator. Szabo’s body was found in deep snow around 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon. He’d sustained significant traumatic injuries during the fall from the cliff edge. His body was recovered in a helicopter long-line operation. Following an autopsy and investigation, Szabo’s death was determined to have been a suicide.
