Missing Mother Rescued Near Grand Canyon After Getting Stranded in Snow

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Hemera/Thinkstock(PHOENIX) — A mother who went missing this week was found on Christmas Eve after hiking 26 miles in the snow to the Grand Canyon, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said Karen Klein was with her husband and son on Thursday as they tried to reach the North Rim of the Grand Canyon via State Route 67, which is closed for the winter. Their car got stuck in snow on a forest service road and when she went to go look for help, she became stranded from her family, according to officials.

Klein’s husband Eric and her 10-year-old son were found Friday afternoon when they were able to hike to an area with cell phone service, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials said they were treated for cold exposure and frostbite while the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Kane County Sheriff’s Office continued to search for the mother throughout the day and night with the help of search and rescue snowmobiles and ground teams.

After officials found tracks they believed belonged to Klein, she was finally located shortly after midnight Saturday at the gate of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon by Kane County Sheriff’s Office searchers. Klein was treated on scene by Search and Rescue teams who said she was conscious and communicating, but suffering from exposure to the cold. Officials said the mother was first transported to Kane County Hospital in Kanab, Utah, and then to a hospital in St. George for further treatment.

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