Search and rescue responders have located the body of a cruise ship passenger in Juneau who went missing during a hike Tuesday morning.
The crew of an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter located the body of 62-year-old Kentucky resident Marites Buenafe Thursday just before noon, according to a news release from the Alaska State Troopers.
Her body was recovered by Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue about 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge on Mount Roberts. Buenafe was reportedly last seen on security footage leaving the Goldbelt Tramway on top of the mountain.
She told family members she was leaving the cruise ship, the Norwegian Bliss, to depart for the hike alone on Tuesday morning. She did not return before the ship’s departure later that afternoon. Responders began conducting ground and aerial searches later that evening.
Conditions on the mountain were cloudy and rainy on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to troopers, her body will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Her next of kin have been notified.
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