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DENVER » A Tennessee man who was stranded for six days on a remote Utah canyon ledge after his brother fell off the side of the cliff they were trying to rappel down has been rescued, authorities said Monday.
Searchers began looking for the men in No Man’s Canyon in southeast Utah on Friday after family members reported them missing following what was to have been a weeklong trip, Wayne County sheriff’s officials told the Salt Lake Tribune.
A helicopter rescued 57-year-old David Cicotello from the slot canyon before noon Saturday. He was treated for minor injuries and dehydration at a local hospital. Authorities said the area doesn’t have access to radio communication.
A statement from Middle Tennessee State University said David Cicotello and his 70-year-old brother, Louis Cicotello, were in the middle of a two-part 50-foot rappel onto a crevice on March 6.
At about 1 p.m., Louis Cicotello fell to his death, taking the rope with him, the university said. David Cicotello was left on the ledge and wasn’t rescued until Saturday at 2:15 p.m. — 145 hours later, according to the university, where David works as the associate vice provost for admissions and enrollment services.
Louis Cicotello was an artist and professor emeritus at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. A statement from that university said he was head of the Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts before he retired in 2007.
Tom Christensen, the dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, said Louis Cicotello was well known for his sculpture and remained an active member on campus, teaching part-time after his retirement.
