The travel nurse who was reportedly missing for 2 weeks in California was found dead, authorities confirmed.
The body of Ann Marie Herford, who went missing while hiking in California last month was found on Thursday in an extremely steep and dense section of the search area located north of San Antonio Creek. According to Calaveras County Sheriff's Office, her body was on a 35-degree sloped hillside beneath heavy tree canopy and dense foliage in the search area. She was found around 9am local time on Thursday.
Due to the difficult terrain, the California Highway Patrol brought in an aircraft to help retrieve her body.
Her disappearance was reported after she failed to show up for work on November 14.
Herford, a 66-year-old from Michigan, had expressed an interest in hiking the Arnold Rim Trail during a breakfast conversation with a friend on November 11. Despite lacking wilderness survival skills, she ventured out the next day. Her car was discovered at the trailhead three days after she was last seen.
Search efforts were recently scaled back after two weeks of searching, but the CCSO deputies and members of the Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team persisted in combing the area both by air and on the ground. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office expressed gratitude to all the teams involved in the search and recovery efforts.
The investigation into her death is ongoing, with authorities stating that foul play is not suspected.