A hiker reported missing in New Hampshire over the weekend was found dead Wednesday morning, officials said.
Emily Sotelo, 19, of Westford, Massachusetts, was dropped off Sunday morning at a campground in Franconia Notch State Park, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said. His hiking route included Mount Lafayette, Haystack and Flume. The Boston Globe said she was trying to complete the hike in New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot 48 mountains before her 20th birthday this week.
Capt. Michael Eastman of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division said Sotelo was found around 11 a.m. by fish and game conservation officers on Mount Lafayette and removed from the mountain by the New Hampshire National Guard.
He said it was located between Lafayette Brook and the top of the mountain. Search teams had found indications on Tuesday that she had been to that area, but had no more daylight and resumed their search on Wednesday.
“It looks like she was blown off the top of the mountain by the high winds and cold temperatures,” Eastman said.
She appears to have died of exposure to the elements, he added.
Eastman said earlier on Wednesday that the search had shifted to a recovery effort because it was unlikely she could have survived freezing temperatures and 40mph gusts of wind for several days.
Sotelo’s family is in New Hampshire but did not participate in the search due to conditions, he said. Her mother came to New Hampshire with her daughter originally, and her father and sister are now there as well.
Searchers began searching for Sotelo later on Sunday, after she failed to return. As many as 50 search and rescue teams continued on Monday and Tuesday. A National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and K9 units also assisted in the search.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.