Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Body of missing 16-year-old hiker found

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 | 4:47 p.m.

Shane McNeil

Shane McNeil

Authorities have found the body of missing 16-year-old hiker Shane McNeil near where he was reported missing along the Colorado River over the weekend.

Officials on Tuesday spotted tracks left by the Henderson teen near the site of his last cell phone message and had been following the tracks for two hours, focusing on a one-square-mile area, National Park Service officials said. Lake Mead National Recreation Area spokesman Andrew Munoz didn't know the cause of McNeil's death but said it could range from dehydration to a fall.

McNeil's body was found in Boy Scout Canyon at about 11:30 a.m. at the bottom of a ravine in rugged terrain near 200-foot cliff faces, Munoz said.

"He was definitely off the beaten path — off trail in an area that required us to fly his body out," Munoz said.

The location of McNeil's body in Boy Scout Canyon was about five miles east of the center of Boulder City, he said.

His body was turned over to the Clark County Coroner's Office, which will determine the cause and manner of death.

Rescue crews resumed their search for McNeil at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday for the third day in a row. He went missing Saturday night after hiking in the area between Gold Strike Canyon and White Rock Canyon east of Boulder City and south of the Hoover Dam.

The search Tuesday morning included helicopters from Metro Police Search and Rescue, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Air Force 58th Rescue Squadron as well as a search and rescue team from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.

Verizon Wireless provided the Park Service with the last known location of McNeil's cell phone, which was a point along the Colorado River 3.7 miles southeast of the Hoover Dam.

McNeil's mother told authorities her son hiked from their Henderson home near the Interstate 215 and U.S. 95 interchange through Boulder City to the Lake Mead area, keeping in touch with her via text messages. His last text message was just after 7 p.m. Saturday telling her he could see the Colorado River and he was near Hoover Dam.

Before the final text message to his mother, McNeil sent her two text messages saying "I'm fine" and "might have to spend the night" earlier Saturday evening, Munoz said. Officials said McNeil apparently changed his mind about spending the night and planned to meet his mother somewhere Saturday evening.

When McNeil failed to show up at a pre-arranged meeting spot Saturday evening, his mother reported him missing after 9:30 p.m.

"If he hadn't had that pre-arranged meeting time, we wouldn't have started the search when we did," Munoz said. "Unfortunately, the end wasn't the best."

Munoz said the search for McNeil encompassed a 30-square-mile area of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area with help from multiple agencies in Nevada and Arizona.

McNeil, who moved to Henderson six weeks ago from the East Coast, was an avid hiker and liked watching "Man vs. Wild," Munoz said.

"What kids watching those shows don't see is the 50-men crew behind them," he said.

Even so, park officials said McNeil employed at least one good survival skill by keeping in touch with his mother along the way.

Park officials urged hikers to travel in pairs or groups, carry one quart of water per hour and leave a detailed account of their hiking routes in case the need for a search arises.

"I think again it's pre-planning," said assistant parks spokeswoman Sky McClain. "Let someone know. It's faster the more we know."

The Lake Mead National Recreation Area tends to attract more hikers in the fall, winter and spring, but Munoz said hikers still need to be aware of unusual heat waves like the one Southern Nevada is experiencing now.

"During the summer, we recommend against hiking in the park because of the extreme heat," he said. "...Because it's so hot and dry, you can be dehydrated and not even know it."

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