Body of Merrell grandson found in Grand Canyon

The body of Randy Merrell’s grandson, Jackson Standefer, 14, has been found in the Grand Canyon.

Jackson Standefer, right, with his mother, Julie Standefer-Merrell. The photo was found on Jackson’s recovered GoPro, his uncle, Mark McOmie, wrote on Facebook.

The body of Jackson Standefer, grandson of Merrell footwear founder Randy Merrell, has been found in the Grand Canyon, and was identified early Monday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Jackson, 14, was an eighth grader at the McCallie School, a boys’ boarding school in Chattanooga, Tenn.

There has been no sign of LouAnn Merrell, the boy’s step-grandmother and Randy Merrell’s wife. The two were swept away after losing their footing along Tapeats Creek on a family trip there two weeks ago. The search for the pair was scaled back after nearly a week of extensive operations involving ground crews, boats, a helicopter, and a drone turned up nothing.

Wolverine Worldwide, parent company of Merrell, also offered to assist in the search. The company told the National Park Service shortly after the accident that it had a team ready to go.

Jackson’s body was found by people on a commercial river trip, the National Park Service said in a press release.