On Wednesday, the body of a college student who had vanished during a weekend hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire was discovered.
The body of Emily Sotelo, of Westford, Massachusetts, was discovered around 11 a.m. on the northwest side of Mount Lafayette in Franconia, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Sotelo was reportedly dropped off by her mother early on Sunday morning at a campground close to Franconia Notch with the intention of finishing a solo hike.
After she hadn’t arrived home by late afternoon, her mother contacted NHFG.
The following days were spent by more than a dozen search and rescue teams, including Fish and Game officers and volunteers, looking for Sotelo using aircraft and scent-tracking canines.
At Lafayette Brook’s headquarters on Tuesday in the late afternoon, tracks and personal items belonging to the missing woman were discovered. Authorities reported that by that evening, crews were engaged in a recovery effort rather than a rescue operation.
An Army National Guard helicopter assisted in transporting her to the Cannon Mountain ski resort after her body was discovered.
According to the Associated Press, Sotelo planned to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s peaks over 4,000 feet before turning 20. On Wednesday, the day her body was discovered, she would have turned 20 years old.
Even though Sotelo’s family claimed she was an expert hiker, they claimed she had little experience hiking in the winter.
Walsh emphasized the significance of being prepared for the unexpected and stated that her passing should serve as “a warning to all hikers.”
“Know the weather conditions, dress for the weather conditions, have extra clothes, have extra food, water, a headlamp, a map and compass,” said Walsh.
Sotelo was a sophomore studying biochemistry and chemical biology at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. According to the AP, she had recently transferred from the College of William & Mary to the Nashville school.
