Photo: Facebook
The bodies of Garret Bonkowski, 25, and Jessica Bartz, 22, of Peoria, were found on Oct. 1 on the canyon’s South Rim, the U.S. Park Rangers and National Park Service Investigative Servicessaid in a joint announcementabout the couple.
Their bodies were foundbelow the Trailview 2 Overlook along West Rim Driveon the South Rim, the announcement says.
Investigators haven’t said how the couple died or if they were the victims of foul play. They are seeking information to help determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths, they said in the announcement.
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But park officials haveno recordof what they did or where they went after that, she says, the Associated Press reports.
The couplewasn’t reported missing, says Cobb, AZCentral.com reports.
Bonkowski’s mother, Jennifer Follis, told local station KSAZ that she and her family had no idea Bonkowski and Bartz, his girlfriend of two years, werestopping at the Grand Canyonon their way to Iowa, where they were moving.
“The plan was that they were going to go to Iowa, which is where she is from, so that was unexpected to find that out,” Follis told the outlet.
“I said, ‘I love you Garret,’ and he said, ‘I love you mom,'” she told the outlet. “We hugged and then they left.”
In a Facebook post, Follis wrote, “None of us that knew and loved Garret will ever be the same again.”
A spokesperson for the National Park Service routed PEOPLE’s request for comment to the Grand Canyon National Park.
A request for comment from the Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
source: people.com
