59 Year Old ASU Professor Debra Schwartz of Tempe Missing During a Camping Trip Near Sedona, AZ (Update: Found Deceased)

59 year old Arizona State University professor Debra Schwartz has gone missing while camping by herself in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, AZ.She was last seen on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Oak Creek Canyon. According to authorities, a campsite host at Pine Flat Campground contacted the department at about 9:07 a.m. Friday, after he visited Swartz’s campsite to check on her, since she had not paid to extend her time there. According to the Sheriff’s Office, when deputies arrived at the campsite, they found Schwartz’s car, her assembled tent and various camping gear. It appeared Schwartz left the campground and did not return.

Schwartz is described as a white woman, who is 59 years of old, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and 160 pounds. She has green eyes and brown hair. The Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are conducting ground and aerial searches of the area.

If you have seen her, please contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 1-800-338-7888, 928-774-4523 or call Silent Witness at (928) 774-6111.

Law enforcement officers, including many with search and rescue, are currently looking for a missing ASU professor in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.

Debra Schwartz of Tempe has not been seen in a couple of days.

Gerry Blair with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department told 12 News the campsite host at Pine Flat Campground contacted the department at about 9:07 a.m. Friday, after he visited Swartz’s campsite to check on her, since she had not paid to extend her time there. The campsite host said she was camping by herself.

“We found her car; her tent was at the camp intact,” Blair said. “She left a number of [things] behind.”

When the Deputies arrived at Pine Flats, they found Schwartz’s vehicle and her assembled tent and other camping equipment.  It appears that she left her campground for an unknown destination and failed to return as scheduled, authorities said.

UPDATE I: Search underway for ASU professor missing from Oak Creek Canyon.

Authorities from several agencies are searching for a missing Arizona State University professor.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says 59-year-old Debra Schwartz was last seen on May 4 at Pine Flat Campground in Oak Creek Canyon.

Detectives are conducting a missing person investigation, trying to learn what happened before Schwartz disappeared. Anyone with information about her location or the circumstances around her disappearance is asked to call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 1-800-338-7888.

UPDATE II: Missing ASU professor Debra Schwartz found dead near Oak Creek Canyon.

Authorities have found the body of missing Arizona State University professor Debra Schwartz near Oak Creek Canyon.

Officials said a three-member technical rescue team was searching an unnamed slot canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon around 11 a.m. when they discovered her body.

“This technical rescue team completed two rope rappels to make their way into the canyon to a spot where they were able to see the body and then a third rappel to actually reach the body,” according to Gerry Blair with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.