A Kentucky doctor mysteriously vanished after leaving a Norwegian cruise ship for a solo hike in Alaska, prompting a large-scale search for the missing passenger.
Marites Buenafe, 62, was reported missing around 3:18 p.m. Tuesday after she failed to return to the Norwegian Bliss before its 1:30 p.m. departure from Juneau, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
The primary care physician, who works at University of Kentucky HealthCare in Lexington, texted her family around 7:30 a.m., saying she was taking the Mount Roberts Tramway to hike Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak.
Police said she was last seen on security footage leaving the building at the tramway’s top stop around the same time she sent her final text.
“We remain optimistic that we will find Marites alive,” Austin McDaniel, a department spokesperson, told the New York Times Thursday.
Police launched a multi-agency ground and aerial search for the lost traveler, deploying helicopters, thermal drones, and K-9s along the popular hiking trail — but have so far come up empty.
McDaniel said authorities have concentrated the emergency response in the mountains south of downtown Juneau.
Buenafe earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio and has practiced medicine for over 20 years, according to the healthcare system’s website.
She currently works as a family medicine doctor at Albert B. Chandler Hospital.
Norwegian Cruise Line, which began the seven-day voyage from Seattle on Saturday, said it is assisting local authorities.
“An active search is ongoing, and we are providing assistance to local authorities as appropriate,” a spokesperson for the cruise line told People.
“Our CARE team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”
It’s unclear whether the nearly 1,100-foot vessel, with multiple scheduled stops in Alaska and Canada, has remained in the state capital — its third stop — during the search.
The ship is scheduled to return to Seattle on Saturday, according to CruiseMapper.
Norwegian did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment due to the July 4 holiday.
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