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The strange disappearance of Drake Cramer in the Grand Canyon National Park

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Drake Cramer disappearance Grand Canyon National Park

Drake Lyons Kramer, disappeared February 1 2015, near Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Revised March 2021

21 year old, Drake Lyons Cramer 21, of San Antonio, was enrolled to study geology at the University of Texas. 

He was last seen on Sunday, February 1, 2015, near the Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.  He was reported missing the next day by his parents, Robin and Brenda Kramer. He left his vehicle, a white 2007 Mazda 323 with the Texas license plate number CSK1767, at the lodge and has never been heard from again.

South rim Grand Canyon national park

Drake Cramer’s visit to the Grand Canyon

Drake stayed the night as a guest at the Bright Angel Lodge, checking out the next morning. He sent his family a strange text message before his disappearance in which he said: “he had to give his body to Mother Earth.”. The family was surprised he had driven to California and then on to the canyon. They last saw him on January 29th, when they went to see the film American Sniper and he was reported to be “… in good spirits,” according to Kramer’s father. It was very unlike him to travel to places like the Grand Canyon alone, but he had been to the area 2-3 times before. However, he was very experienced in the outdoors.

Drake Cramer disappearance Grand Canyon

The search

Park rangers and search and rescue teams searched the South Rim area from Hermit’s Rest on the West Side to Grandview on the East for around six days. The Park Service said, “Teams of searchers have walked miles along the canyon rim, searched heavily forested areas, utilized dog teams, performed several over-the-rim technical searches, and conducted multiple aerial reconnaissance missions to support ground searchers.” But the search was to no avail.

Rangers said, "while the weather with daytime temperatures in the 60s has been good, the terrain being searched – flat on top of the rim, but rocky and unstable just off the edge – can be a challenge. There are trees down there, there are shrubs, there are rocks; the canyon walls are often shaded depending on the time of day. It’s just a real mix of terrain, which does make it difficult to work in.”

What happened to Drake Cramer?

Drake's enigmatic text message to the parents of his desire to return to Mother Earth may have just been a reference to a need to escape to the outdoors. However, it is unusual in this area of the South Rim of Grand Canyon that no sign of him or his remains has been found. 

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