Rescuers in Alaska said on Thursday that they had recovered the body of a Kentucky woman who went missing after she left a cruise ship to go on a hike near Juneau earlier in the week.
The body of Dr. Marites Buenafe, 62, was found on Thursday morning by the crew on an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter, Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said. Dr. Buenafe was a physician at UK HealthCare in Lexington, Ky.
Dogs, helicopters and search teams had been looking for Dr. Buenafe since she was reported missing at around 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday when she failed to return to the Norwegian Cruise Line ship in time for its 1:30 p.m. departure, according to the local authorities.
The morning she went missing, Dr. Buenafe told her family in text messages that she was going to ride a tram into the mountains and that she then planned to hike the trail from the Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak, according to the Alaska Department of Safety. She was last spotted on security footage leaving the buildings at the top stop of the Mount Roberts Tramway at around 7:30 a.m., Alaska State Troopers said in a bulletin.
Her body was found about 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge on Thursday morning, Mr. McDaniel said.
The search effort had focused near downtown Juneau, “in the mountains south of town,” which are not considered a remote area, Mr. McDaniel said.
The trail is a popular hiking attraction, he added, and the public safety department conducts several searches and rescues there every year.
Alaska residents and visitors are encouraged to become familiar with the area and to pack well before going out on a trip, including by carrying extra clothing, food, water and a communications device, he said. People venturing into the backcountry are also advised to tell someone where they are going and when they can be expected to return.
Mr. McDaniel cautioned that “trips into Alaska’s backcountry can go from expected easy day trips to very challenging with one wrong step or fall.”
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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