Search for missing couple caught in Utah flash flood now a ‘recovery effort’

MOAB — The search for a missing Texas couple believed to have been swept away by flash flooding outside Moab last week has turned into a “recovery effort,” Grand County authorities said Friday.

Ray and Maranda Ankofski, ages 58 and 50, remain missing after they were last seen hiking the Steel Bender Trail southeast of Moab early in the afternoon of June 21. Grand County sheriff’s officials said Friday they are using “advanced search techniques and resources” and have produced no sign of the couple so far.

“The decision to transition from a search and rescue mission to a recovery mission was made based on the evidence collected on scene during the operation,” the agency wrote in a statement. “The Grand County Sheriff’s Office is moving toward closure for the family and friends of Ray and Maranda Ankofski.”

The storms created all sorts of flash flooding problems in and around Moab on June 21. The Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team helped rescue 20 hikers stranded in Grandstaff Canyon, also just outside Moab.

Authorities believe the Ankofskis were also victims of flash flooding. Their abandoned vehicle and an all-terrain vehicle belonging to the couple were found Monday, prompting a search of the area. Family members and authorities said they also found other items, including a cooler believed to be from the ATV and a pair of pants containing Ray Ankofski’s wallet and ID, in a tree.

“They got into (the flood) and the UTV probably rolled into the wash, I’ll say three-quarters of a mile before it stopped,” the county sheriff’s chief deputy told KSL-TV Wednesday. Grand County, Mike Palmer.

Donna Stevens, Ray Ankofski’s sister, said Wednesday that the couple were outdoorsy types and knew Utah’s terrain well. She believes they were prepared for the elements, so she was surprised to learn they may have been caught in a storm.

She said, however, that she is grateful for the support the family has received since the couple’s disappearance.

“We’ve been praying a lot right now,” she said. “Prayers, prayers, we need prayers. »