Missing camper found in canyon near Sedona 3 days after vanishing, AZ cops say
A 32-year-old missing camper was found in a canyon near Sedona three days after she disappeared, Arizona deputies said.
Janelle Banda was reported missing at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, from the Edge of the World camping area, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 17 news release.
Banda had left camp to go into a “nearby side canyon,” but she never came back, deputies said.
Search teams went into the canyon that night to look for her, then continued searching for her the next day, deputies said.
Deputies said rescuers searched by foot, used police dogs and helicopters but couldn’t find her.
Teams went into the canyon again and found her at about noon on Monday, June 16, deputies said.
She was dehydrated and had minor injuries. She was hoisted from the area and taken to a hospital, deputies said.
Her family told KSAV she had been camping with her dad when she left the campsite “for unknown reasons.”
“I couldn’t imagine my life without her, and I’m so happy that I get to still have more time with her,” her sister, Sarah Banda, told KPNX.
The Edge of the World is a cliffside camping area just north of Sedona that overlooks rock formations.
Edge of the World is about a 160-mile drive north from Phoenix.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Missing camper found in canyon near Sedona 3 days after vanishing, AZ cops say."
