Houston couple missing in Utah after flash flooding

HOUSTON — The search for a Houston couple continues after they disappeared during their annual trip to Moab, Utah.

Houston Independent School District teacher Maranda Ankofski and her husband Raymond Ankofski went missing near Moab, Utah, after severe weather hit the area on Friday, June 21, causing flash flooding and rockslides.

Alarm bells went off about the couple after a vehicle linked to them was reported abandoned to the Grand County Sheriff's Office on Monday, June 24. The vehicle was found in the area of ​​the Steel Bender Trail, an off-road loop road south of Moab, according to a Facebook post from the Grand County Sheriff's Office.

“An all-terrain utility vehicle (UTV) belonging to the party reported overdue was subsequently located in the area of ​​the Steel Bender Trail,” the post states.

An official with the sheriff's office told FOX 26 in Houston that he feared flash flooding could have swept the couple away because their belongings were scattered over a three-mile area. FOX 26 reported the couple was last heard from on Friday and was expected to return to Houston on Monday.

Search and rescue operations immediately began for the Ankofskis, which included ground search teams, helicopters, dogs and other specialized equipment.

But the search had to be suspended Thursday due to another round of flash flooding in the area, according to Al Cymbaluk of the Grand County Sheriff's Office speaking to KUTV.