Woman who went missing on hike in California found dead

A 66-year-old Michigan woman who went missing while hiking in California’s Sierra Nevada was found dead, officials said Thursday. 

The body of Ann Marie Herford was located amid dense brush and under a thick tree canopy on a steep slope off the Arnold Rim Trail near the community of Arnold, according to a news release from the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office. 

“She was on the north side of San Antonio Creek, a little over a half-mile from San Antonio Falls, which is a point of interest for people,” Sgt. Chad Poortinga, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told SFGATE.

Herford was a travel nurse and was temporarily in California for a job at a hospital in Sonora, a town about 30 miles south of Arnold, Poortinga said.

It’s presumed Herford went on a day hike on the Arnold Rim Trail, on Nov. 12, he said. The sheriff’s office posted a message in social media about her going missing on Nov. 15.

“It wasn’t until she didn’t show up for work that she was reported missing,” he said.

Herford’s car was found parked near the Lakemont Drive access to the trail. A tremendous search effort was put forth in the days that followed. 

“Sheriff’s detectives will continue to review all aspects of Anne Marie’s disappearance, however, the investigation currently indicates that her tragic death is not suspicious,” a statement from the sheriff’s office said. “The Calaveras Sheriff’s Office wishes to express its heartfelt gratitude to all of the teams involved in the search operation.”