Texas Chiropractor Missing After Grand Canyon Flash Flood

A Texas chiropractor and his hiking group are reported missing following a flash flood in the Grand Canyon. Dr. John Giusti and others are unaccounted for after floodwaters swept through Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch on August 29, according to a public plea from his wife.

“Please pray for Dr. John’s safety,” his wife wrote in an update shared by Whipple City Family Chiropractic. The group is “reported missing,” and National Park Service search-and-rescue teams are conducting operations in the area.

Dr. Giusti, a chiropractor from Granbury, Texas, was hiking and camping in the canyon. His wife urged the community to keep him, his hiking group, and their families in their thoughts and prayers, affirming the family would provide official updates from park authorities.

Giusti’s wife described him as the heart of their business, ChiroHabit, and a deeply loved husband and father. Photos shared on the business page show him at the Grand Canyon before the flooding.

The National Park Service has not publicly identified any of the approximately 15 people being searched for. Authorities are asking for information on hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29. Giusti had a 19-year career in chiropractic care, with eight years as a partner at Whipple City Family Chiropractic in New York before moving to Granbury in 2020. He and his wife, Janet, are raising three daughters in Texas.

Recovery operations concluded Sunday for a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. The National Park Service did not provide further information about his identity or connection to the missing persons operation.

The flash flood began at 2:30 p.m. August 29. As of Sunday morning, 62 people had evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail without reported injuries. The flood destroyed footbridges across Bright Angel Creek, impacting hiker access and forcing closures of several areas.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed her support to families of those unaccounted for, mentioning coordination efforts for search and recovery operations.

Anyone with information is advised to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or [email protected].