Body of 53-year-old missing hiker found, National Park Service says
Authorities have discovered the body of a missing Ohio woman who disappeared while she was hiking at a national park on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, the National Park Service said Tuesday. Mitzie Sue "Susan" Clements, 53, went missing Sept. 25 during a hike with her daughter in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Officials reportedly said the cause of death has not been determined at this time.
Clements' body was found in the national park two miles west of the Clingmans Dome parking area, three-fourth miles south of the Appalachian Trail, according to CBS affiliate WATE-TV.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park officials said on Twitter that "our hearts are with the family and friends" of the Clements family and they thanked "everyone that participated in the search."
Search crews located the body of Susan Clements this afternoon, two miles west of the Clingmans Dome parking area and 3/4 miles south of the Appalachian Trail. Our hearts are with the family and friends of Ms. Clements. Thanks to everyone that participated in the search. pic.twitter.com/eOZR7APfcH
— GreatSmokyNPS (@GreatSmokyNPS) October 2, 2018
The daughter said the she hiked slightly ahead of her mother, but when she turned around to rejoin her, she was gone, WATE-TV reported earlier. More than 45 different agencies had assisted in the search, using K-9 units, helicopters and drones.
WATE-TV says rocky terrain and dense vegetation made the search particularly difficult.
"It takes a lot of people and a lot of time to just comb through that landscape," park spokesperson Julena Campbell said earlier.