A group of hikers in Arizona stumbled upon the body of a missing woman Friday while climbing the side of a mountain, authorities said.
The hikers were approaching a mountain peak near Craggy Wash, north of Lake Havasu City, when they found the man unconscious, the County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team said. Mohave County.
The group called the sheriff’s office around 5 p.m., saying the rough terrain prevented them from getting close enough to check on the individual, officials said.
Emergency crews responded and determined the individual was dead.
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The hikers were near a mountain peak when they spotted an individual. They told authorities they could not get close enough to see the person’s condition. (Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue)
The recovery operation was delayed until the next morning due to the complexity of the location, officials said.
The hikers were near Craggy Wash, north of Lake Havasu City, when they called the sheriff’s office for help. (Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue)
“The terrain was steep and rugged,” the sheriff’s office said. “Given the different options for extracting the body with our technical rope rescue team, Kingman’s DPS Western Air Rescue helicopter became available and performed a long-line extraction.”
A DPS Western Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman conducted a longline extraction to recover the body Saturday morning. (Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue)
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The body was later identified as that of Melinda Oakeson, 46, who was recently reported missing, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately provide details on how Oakeson died or how she got to the scene on the mountainside.
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Fox News Digital has contacted the sheriff’s office for more information.