The Graham County Sheriff’s Office began receiving reports of a group that had gone somewhere on Thursday and had not returned. The problem was that nobody seemed to know where the group was going. On Friday, some people on Frye Mesa reported seeing an ATV crashed in the same area that a paraglider crashed last year.
Graham County Search and Rescue was called out Friday night. The rescue party had to rappel down to the crash site in order to investigate the site. Three people were found dead in the ATV – Two men and one woman. According the Graham County Sheriff, PJ Allred, it took approximately three hours to retrieve the bodies due to the harshness of the terrain. The recovery operation was completed at about midnight. It is estimated that the crash occurred sometime Thursday night.
“I’m grateful for the Search and Rescue volunteers,” said Sheriff Allred. “They work so hard training and specializing.”
Allred also thanked the Forest Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department and BLM for their assistance.
