A missing college student was found dead on Wednesday after she set out on a solo hike several days earlier in the White Mountains area of Franconia, N.H.
Emily Sotelo set off on her hike of Franconia Ridge on Sunday morning, said a news release from the New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG).
After she did not return later on that same day, a family member notified the NHFG.
“Due to the harsh weather conditions a search commenced Sunday evening and lasted through the night,” NHFG said.
“Searchers were hampered by high winds, cold temperatures, and blowing snow. Searchers spent the next two days looking for Sotelo and Tuesday afternoon tracks and items belonging to Sotelo were located at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook.”
Sotelo’s body was found at 11:00 am on Wednesday, and a state Army National Guard helicopter transferred her body to the Cannon Mountain Ski Area.
AP reported that Wednesday would have been Sotelo’s 20th birthday. She was from Westford, Massachusetts, and was a sophomore at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
AP reported that Sotelo was unprepared for the conditions as she went out for her hike in a light jacket, hiking sneakers, and exercise pants over long underwear.
“Weather conditions by Sunday evening were single digit temperatures, 40 to 60 mile per hour winds, blowing snow, and she was not dressed accordingly for those temperatures,” Fish and Game Maj. David Walsh said, reported AP. “Those are extreme conditions, and then she ended up off trail.”
A dozen groups and agencies assisted NHFG in the search.
