The National Park Service (NPS) rangers on Wednesday found the body of a 20-year-old college student who fell hundreds of feet to his death in the Grand Canyon.

Abel Joseph Mejia accidentally fell 400 feet “approximately ¼ mile west of Pipe Creek Overlook,” the press release said. The NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office are currently investigating the incident, according to the press release. (RELATED: Disturbing Number Of Bodies Found In US National Park In 2024)

“In this specific area, this individual was hiking off trail which is a pretty common place occurrence for a lot of our visitors here,” said Joelle Baird, a public affairs officer for the Grand Canyon National Park, CBS News reported. The Grand Canyon National Park staff said that all visitors should keep “a safe distance of at least six feet (2 m) from the edge of the rim and staying behind railings and fences at overlooks.”

Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis said that Meija was a student at their institution in a post on social media.

“He was known for his warm smile and gentle spirit, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him. Let us all join together in prayer for the entire Mejia family during this difficult time. May God bring comfort and peace to all who are grieving,” the college wrote on Facebook.

Turning Point Pentecostal Church said in a Facebook post that the young man was “on a missions trip” at the Grand Canyon and asked well-wishers to “keep the Mejia family in your prayers.”

Ranjith Varma, a 55-year-old man, died at the national park after trying to do a rim-to-rim trek in September of 2023.  A 57-year-old female hiker perished in the park as the outdoor temperature spiked into triple-digit numbers in July of 2023. Mary Kelley, a 68-year-old woman, died after falling into whitewater rapids at the national park in March of 2022.