20-year-old hiker found dead after vanishing in frigid temperatures, NH officials say
_fitted.png "Emily Sotelo, 20, was dropped off for a hike and never returned, New Hampshire officials say.")
UPDATE: The body of a missing hiker was discovered four days after she failed to return from a solo hike in New Hampshire, officials said.
Emily Sotelo, 20, was found dead just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23, according to a Facebook post from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief. Her body was located on the northwest side of Mount Lafayette in Franconia.
A New Hampshire National Guard helicopter transported her body from the mountain to a Cannon Mountain Ski Area, officials said.
The original story is below.
A 20-year-old hiker vanished in New Hampshire, officials say. Now, searchers need the public’s help.
New Hampshire conservation officers said Emily Sotelo was dropped off the morning of Sunday, Nov. 20, at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia, about 80 miles north of Concord. By 7 p.m., she had not returned.
Sotelo intended to hike Mount Lafayette, Mount Haystack and Mount Flume, officers said in a Facebook post from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief.
Similar routes indicate that Sotelo’s route would have been about 13 to 15 miles, according to All Trails.
The surrounding areas experienced snowfall and frigid temperatures overnight, an AccuWeather radar showed. As of Monday morning, Nov. 21, the temperature was 24 degrees.
Sotelo is described as being 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 115 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, officers said. She is wearing exercise pants and a brown jacket.
Officers are asking anyone who encountered Sotelo along the route to contact the State Police Dispatch at 603-271-1170.
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 11:35 AM with the headline "20-year-old hiker found dead after vanishing in frigid temperatures, NH officials say."
