National Park Service officials ended a one-month search operation Tuesday, after discovering the body of the second hiker reported missing on September 24 at the Craters of the Moon National Monument.
Dr. Jo Elliott-Blakeslee, an Idaho physician, was hiking the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve accompanied by her friend, Amelia Linkert. The duo was last seen in the campground in Arco Sept. 19, before they were reported missing on September 24. The National Park Service officials and the Butte County Sheriff's Office initiated the search operation for the two missing day-hikers.
The officials found Linkert's body by an Army National Guard helicopter the day after their missing report was filed. Linkert's death has been attributed to exposure dehydration, and hypothermia. Officials found their vehicle parked at the Tree Molds Trailhead parking lot, a popular hiking spot in the area.
The search operation was concluded Tuesday, after the park rangers spotted Elliott-Blakeslee's body about one mile from where the officials found the body of her companion Linkert.
The 63-year-old Idaho physician served at the Oregon Department of Corrections in Ontario, while her partner was retired from Meridian School District.
"We hope that this will bring closure to her family, friends and all those who have been involved in the search. We join the family in thanking the searchers and local communities for the tremendous outpouring of support that we have received throughout this intense effort", Dan Buckley, park superintendent for the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, said in a statement.
The search operation included ground search crews and dog teams in addition to the air search.
