Marites Buenafe, 62, from Kentucky, was visiting Alaska’s capital, Juneau, when she didn’t return from a hike.
According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, her body was located late Thursday by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew below the ridgeline of Gold Ridge.
Buenafe was a physician affiliated with UK HealthCare, the University of Kentucky’s hospital and clinic system.
State troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue recovered her body with assistance from Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard.
Marites Buenafe, 62, from Kentucky, was in Alaska’s capital when she failed to return from a hike.
Her family has been notified of her death and her body will be sent to the state’s medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, the Associated Press reported.
On July 1, the Juneau Police Department was notified by Buenafe’s family that she had set out for a hike that morning, planning to take a popular tourist tram partway up the mountain above downtown Juneau before continuing on foot to Gastineau Peak and Gold Ridge, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
She had disembarked from the Norwegian Bliss but failed to return to the ship before it departed.
The Norwegian Bliss cruise ship docked on Manhattan’s west side after spending a week at sea.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the guest’s passing,” a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Our CARE team is offering support to the guest’s family, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”
