Woman reported missing on Arizona hike found dead 3 days after sending text to husband that she had "gotten off route"
A woman reported missing last weekend while hiking in Cave Creek has been found dead, authorities said Wednesday. Maricopa County Sheriff's officials said the body of 60-year-old Kathleen Patterson was located around 8 a.m. and there was no apparent signs of foul play.
It will be up to the county medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death.
Kathleen Patterson has been located. Unfortunately, she was found deceased by a volunteer searcher off trail in the Spur Cross conservation area. Thank you all for sharing. https://t.co/Zz0wIMFiI8
— Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (@mcsoaz) September 28, 2022
Authorities said a volunteer searcher discovered the body about 200 yards away from a trailhead in the popular Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area in Cave Creek, a nearly 2,200-acre county park about 40 miles north of Phoenix.
Patterson's family said she was an avid hiker and was last seen leaving her residence to go hiking around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
She sent her husband of 37 years a text message 2 ½ hours later to say she had gotten off the hiking route but was OK.
"She sent me a text at 10:02 a.m. that said specifically 'Hey babe, I've gotten off route. I'm OK. Plenty of water. All good,'" Steve Patterson told CBS affiliate KPHO-TV.
Sheriff's officials issued a missing person bulletin Sunday night after Patterson's car was found in the trailhead parking lot.
More than 200 volunteers searched the area on Tuesday, KPHO-TV reported.