'A bright light:' Ann Arbor woman dies in Grand Canyon flash flood

Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. - A 29-year-old UM graduate was found dead in freezing water Thursday after an overnight flash flood in the Grand Canyon washed away her camp.

The body of Rebecca Copeland of Ann Arbor was found near her commercial rafting group's campground along the Colorado River after it was engulfed by a torrent of water that passed through a slot canyon Wednesday night, officials said. Grand Canyon National Park park in a statement. Authorities identified Copeland on Friday.

A commercial rafting group found Copeland's body, and the group also found a second uninjured person who had also been reported missing, according to the statement.

Five injured people, including one in critical condition, were evacuated by air from the canyon, according to the statement. Their identities were not released.

Copeland graduated this year with a double master's degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Ford School of Public Policy, the university confirmed. She devoted herself to public health and was described by a professor as "a bright light and a joy."

"He was passionate about health policy and was about to join the Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center," said David Hutton, one of Copeland's Health Policy and Management professors at the University of Michigan.

In addition to being a dual-degree student, Copeland was part of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, where she researched ways to improve health care and volunteered as a student liaison for the board of ex students.

Copeland was also a David A. Winston Health Policy Fellow, an honor given to a handful of students nationally each year, Hutton said.

"Professionally, she was very astute and willing to tackle the complicated problems that we face in our health care system," Hutton said. "Personally, it was a bright light and it was a pleasure to be around. We will miss her so much."

The National Park Service is investigating the incident in coordination with the Coconino County Medical Examiner, according to the statement.

The flooding hit the established camp about 40 miles downstream from where the rafts were launched at Lees Ferry near the Arizona-Utah state line, turning the normally greenish river into a muddy brown.

Forecasters had issued a flash flood watch for the area on Wednesday, but it was unclear if the rafting guides were aware.

The flooding was part of the monsoon storms that have flooded Arizona this week, including in Flagstaff, where streets in some areas were muddy as water mixed with logs and debris.

The entire Southwest, which has been desperate for rain after two years of dismal monsoon activity, has been battered by storms of late. More rain is expected.

‘A bright light:’ Ann Arbor woman dies in Grand Canyon flash flood

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