Days before he was to receive his master's degree from Arizona State University, Sandarsh Krishna — a 26-year-old student who had traveled from India to build a future in America — vanished along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on April 27, leaving behind only a stationary cell phone signal and a backpack turned in by a stranger. His disappearance arrives at the threshold of completion, where years of quiet effort were about to become a beginning, and transforms that moment into an open question that his family and dozens of searchers are now laboring to answer. The canyon, ancient and indif
ASU student missing near Grand Canyon days before graduation
Sandarsh Krishna, 26, an international student from India pursuing his master's degree, has been missing for over a week near the Grand Canyon, causing significant distress to his family who expected him to graduate within days.
It's impossible to not like him. He has the heart of a kid.
Mark
What made you decide to go to the Grand Canyon that day?
Mimi
I didn't decide anything—I'm trying to understand what happened to him. He told his family he was going to Las Vegas and wanted to stop at the South Rim. It sounds like a reasonable plan. A lot of people do that.
Mark
But something went wrong between the lodge and the rim trail.
Mimi
Yes. Somewhere in those hours between 4 p.m. and midnight, he vanished. And the backpack—someone found it and brought it to the hotel. That person knows something.
Mark
Why does the timing matter so much?
Mimi
Because he was supposed to graduate in twelve days. He had a job interview waiting. He was close to finishing something he'd worked toward for two years. The canyon didn't know that. But his family did.
Mark
Do you think he fell?
Mimi
I don't know. The terrain is dangerous. But the backpack being found at the lodge suggests he made it back to that area. That's what makes this so unclear.
Mark
What does it feel like to be the family right now?
Mimi
Impossible. You're waiting for a phone call that might never come. You're watching search teams work the canyon. You're hiring private investigators. And graduation day is getting closer.
O Pulso
- A young man on the verge of graduation told his family he was heading to Las Vegas — and then, somewhere along a rim trail above one of the world's most unforgiving landscapes, he was simply gone.
- His cell phone has not moved since the night of April 27, and his family has received no word in over a week, leaving them suspended in a silence that grows heavier with each passing day.
- More than 30 search and rescue personnel have combed the South Rim using foot patrols, rope descents into the canyon, aerial flights, and drone operations — yet the terrain has so far refused to yield answers.
- A black backpack turned in to Bright Angel Lodge the morning after he vanished is now the investigation's most tangible lead, and authorities are urgently seeking the person who brought it in.
- With graduation day approaching and no resolution in sight, Krishna's family has hired a private investigator, refusing to let institutional effort be the only force searching for him.
Days before he was to receive his master's degree from Arizona State University, Sandarsh Krishna — a 26-year-old student who had traveled from India to build a future in America — vanished along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on April 27, leaving behind only a stationary cell phone signal and a backpack turned in by a stranger. His disappearance arrives at the threshold of completion, where years of quiet effort were about to become a beginning, and transforms that moment into an open question that his family and dozens of searchers are now laboring to answer. The canyon, ancient and indifferent, holds whatever it knows.
Sandarsh Krishna had come a long way — from India to Arizona, two years of graduate study in computer science, and a May 9 graduation date that was finally within reach. On April 27, he told his family he was making a detour to the Grand Canyon before continuing to Las Vegas. He never returned.
His last confirmed presence was somewhere along the Rim Trail between Bright Angel Lodge and Mohave Point, during the hours between 4 p.m. on April 27 and midnight. His cell phone has not moved since. Because Krishna had no vehicle of his own, investigators believe he was relying on rideshare or taxi services to navigate the park.
The search that followed has been extensive. More than 30 rescue personnel have worked the South Rim across multiple days, combining foot patrols along the rim, technical rope descents into the canyon below, aerial reconnaissance, and drone coverage of terrain too difficult to reach on foot. Still, no sign of him has been found.
The most promising lead is a small one: Krishna's black backpack was turned in to staff at Bright Angel Lodge on the morning of April 28. The person who brought it in is not a suspect, but investigators believe they may hold information that could meaningfully focus the search. Identifying that individual has become a priority.
Those who know Krishna describe him as quietly capable and instinctively kind — someone, his sister-in-law Pooja Shivananjappa said, with "the heart of a kid." His family, who expected to watch him graduate within days, has hired a private investigator to work alongside official efforts. The National Park Service tip line — 888-653-0009 — remains open for anyone with information.
Sandarsh Krishna was supposed to graduate from Arizona State University on May 9. He had moved to Arizona from India two years earlier to pursue a master's degree in computer science, and the finish line was in sight. But on April 27, somewhere along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, he disappeared.
Krishna, 26, had told his family he was driving to Las Vegas with a planned stop at the Grand Canyon's South Rim. He was expected back in time for final exams and a job interview. He never came home. His last confirmed location was somewhere along the Rim Trail off Hermit Road, between Bright Angel Lodge and Mohave Point—a window of time stretching from 4 p.m. on April 27 through midnight. His cell phone has not moved since that day. The family has heard nothing.
"We haven't had any success in finding him," his sister-in-law, Pooja Shivananjappa, said in an interview with Fox 10 Phoenix, her voice carrying the weight of a week without answers. "They're doing the best they can, but unfortunately we do not have the exact location to see where he went missing." Krishna had no vehicle of his own, so investigators believe he was using a rideshare or taxi service to get around the park.
The search has grown into a substantial operation. More than 30 search and rescue personnel have been deployed across the South Rim over several days, working the rugged terrain with multiple techniques: scanning the rim trails on foot, rappelling down technical rope routes into the canyon itself, conducting aerial reconnaissance flights, and operating drones to cover ground that human searchers cannot easily reach. Rangers have focused their efforts on the area around Hermit Road and the surrounding sections of rim.
One detail has emerged that may prove crucial. Krishna's black backpack was turned in to hotel staff at Bright Angel Lodge early on the morning of April 28—the day after he vanished. Investigators are now actively trying to identify and speak with the person who brought it in. That individual is not considered a suspect, but authorities believe they may have information that could help narrow the search area significantly. It is a thin thread, but it is the most concrete lead the investigation has.
Krishna is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, weighing about 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing athletic clothing. Those who know him describe a young man of quiet capability and kindness. "It's impossible to not like him," Shivananjappa said. "He has a helping hand. He has the heart of a kid." His family, facing the possibility that he will not walk across the stage on May 9, has hired a private investigator to work alongside the official search.
Anyone who saw Krishna between April 27 and April 28, or who has information about his whereabouts, is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch tip line at 888-653-0009. The search continues.
Citações Notáveis
We haven't had any success in finding him. They're doing the best they can, but unfortunately we do not have the exact location to see where he went missing.— Pooja Shivananjappa, Krishna's sister-in-law
It's impossible to not like him. He has a helping hand. He has the heart of a kid.— Pooja Shivananjappa, describing Krishna
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