Hikers stumble upon missing woman’s body on ‘steep and rugged’ peak, AZ rescuers say
Hikers came across a missing woman’s body on a “steep and rugged” peak in Arizona, rescuers said.
The hikers spotted the body Oct. 20 on a mountain peak off Craggy Wash, north of Lake Havasu City, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
Initially, the hikers couldn’t tell if the person needed help or was dead because they couldn’t get close enough to reach them, the post said.
Rescuers found the woman dead, and efforts to recover the body began the following day because of the “complexity of the location,” rescuers said.
A helicopter was used to recover the body of 46-year-old Melinda Oakeson, who had been reported missing “recently,” rescuers said.
“Our condolences are with her family. Please respect their privacy during this time,” rescuers said in the post.
Craggy Wash is federal land owned by the Bureau of Land Management where visitors can hike or camp, according to Go Lake Havasu.
The desert terrain offers “good climbs” and “excellent canyon views.”
Lake Havasu City is about 195 miles northwest of Phoenix.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Hikers stumble upon missing woman’s body on ‘steep and rugged’ peak, AZ rescuers say."
