Person recovered at Arches National Park identified as Virginia woman

MOAB, Utah — A dead woman recovered from Arches National Park on Sunday, Oct. 1 has been identified as Yaroslavna Ksenjek, from Arlington, Virginia.

Ksenjek was 33 but the cause of her death has not been determined.

Ksenjek was named by the National Park Service Wednesday evening in a press release from the Southeast Utah Group as part of the U.S. Department of Interior that also said “the investigation is still ongoing.”

According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Arches National Park rangers located a dead woman’s body in the Devils Garden area. A team of park staff and county personnel recovered the body at approximately 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

The area includes extensive hiking areas that include many arches and features not accessible from the roads of the national park. Neither of the press releases from the NPS offered any details about where in the area or how the body was found.

It is not known if she had been reported missing, if she was with others in the park or if her body was spotted by others in the area that is popular with visitors.

The body was reportedly taken to the Utah medical examiner and deputies from Grand County were said to be investigating the death. Arches is known worldwide and draws crowds from around the U.S. and the world. Hiking trails in the area can lead visitors to areas with potentially dangerous falls or rock falls.

“No additional information is available at this time,” the press release stated.

The National Park Service has 423 national parks, including several popular Utah destinations.

Moab, Utah, is the county seat and most populated city in Grand County, located along the Colorado River and serves as the main launching point for visitors Arches and the expansive and more remote Canyonlands National Parks as well as state parks and other natural wonders in the area.