Salt Lake couple missing on backpacking trip

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Rescuers are searching for a Salt Lake City couple reported missing on Sunday.

Alan P. Humphrey, 39, and Iris Faraklas, 35, were supposed to arrive in Prescott, Ariz., Saturday after a week at the Grand Canyon but never arrived, according to Grand Canyon National Park officials.

After a friend told park rangers Monday that the couple planned to backpack the Royal Arch route, a difficult 45-mile loop in the west part of the park, rangers located the couple's vehicle at a trailhead.

Early Tuesday morning, rangers flew the southern portion of the trail but could not locate the couple during the "initial hasty search," according to a statement from the park. Hikers in the area were also contacted and interviewed.

Rangers searched the rest of the trail by air later in the day. Two teams of rescuers were searching the Royal Arch route on foot Tuesday evening.

Anyone with information concerning the couple's whereabouts should contact Grand Canyon Emergency Dispatch at 928-638-7805.