An Oracle, Arizona, man attempting to hike from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim to the Colorado River was found dead by National Park Service personnel Thursday.

Park officials were alerted to an emergency by a personal locator beacon on the Bright Angel Trail. The beacon was located about 1.5 miles north of the Havasupai Gardens campground.

At the time of the report, the hiker was unresponsive, NPS said.

Rangers and rescue personnel arrived and pronounced James Handschy, 65, deceased.

NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the incident to find out how and why Handschy died.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.