The body of a hiker who had been missing for nearly a month has been located, officials in New Hampshire announced.
William Donovan, 65, of Cambridge, Mass. went missing on April 16. His vehicle was located at the Crawford Path parking lot in Carroll.
The Department of Game said Donovan appeared to be an avid hiker, but a search of his vehicle revealed several pieces of hiking gear that would have been beneficial if he was planning a hike in the White Mountains.
A search team was sent to the Dry River area on Monday after hikers found gear and a jacket believed to have belonged to him.
Crews found his body about 10:30 a.m. on Monday approximately 400 feet upstream from where the jacket was discovered.
Donovan's body was located just over 2.5 miles in from Route 302. The search team worked for hours to free the body from beneath a large boulder, but due to its size, freezing water temperatures, and the lack of tools required to move such a boulder, additional resources were called to assist.
Dozens of volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue Services all responded to assist.
These volunteers hiked in the additional equipment and then assisted with carrying Donovan's body. The teams arrived back on Route 302 with the body at 6:40 p.m.
Authorities don't know what brought Donovan into the Dry River Wilderness.
It is also unknown how he entered the water, but it appears he was somehow forced from the ridge by high winds or other adverse weather conditions between Mt. Monroe and Mt. Eisenhower.
The body was moved to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Concord for an autopsy.
