On February 1, 2022, at approximately 7:39 PM Graham County Communications
received a call from a Erla Romelus of La Vergne, TN. She had not heard from her husband,
Pierre Romelus (age 50), since January 31, 2022, when he told her he planned to hike to the
Scope on Mt. Graham. A Facebook Post on February 1, 2022, at approximately 12:00 PM AZ
time included a photo of Pierre Romelus on the mountain with the Scope in the background.
On February 1, 2022, deputies from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office went to Mt.
Graham and located Pierre Romelus’ truck in the Shannon area. Search and Rescue members
were called out and a search was started that evening at 11:00 PM. They began to follow a track
that was located and checking cabins and other areas.
On February 2, 2022, at day light, DPS Ranger responded to assist on the search, but due
to weather could only fly a limited time. Weather also stalled the ground search due to difficult
conditions. The search had to be suspended due to darkness and weather conditions. Greenlee
County Search and Rescue, University of Arizona Police at the Scope site and the U.S. Forest
Service were also contacted to assist with the search.
On February 3, 2022, DPS Ranger returned to assist from the air. The cloud cover and
poor weather conditions had improved and allowed DPS Ranger to fly. A track was found from
the air and members were dropped in by the Helicopter to follow the track. Items such as
clothing were found while following the track that led to Pierre Romelus who was deceased. He
was found in the Grant Creek area at approximately 4:39 PM.
Pierre Romelus was taken from the mountain and an autopsy by the Pima County
Medical Examiner will be conducted.
