Tragic End to the Search: Missing American Hiker Found Dead in South Africa

An Amer­i­can woman who went miss­ing while hik­ing in South Africa has been found dead, author­i­ties have con­firmed. Brook Cheuvront, a 20-year-old stu­dent from North Car­oli­na who was study­ing abroad, van­ished dur­ing a hike on Table Moun­tain in Cape Town.

Desperate Search and Devastating Discovery

After a fran­tic search, a search par­ty found Cheuvron­t’s body around 2pm Sun­day in an area known as Dev­il’s Peak. Her remains were flown out via heli­copter and an autop­sy will be con­duct­ed to deter­mine the cause of death. Author­i­ties have opened an inquest into her trag­ic passing.

Cherished Memories and Heartbroken Loved Ones

Cheuvron­t’s heart­bro­ken father Steve con­firmed her death on Face­book, express­ing the fam­i­ly’s dev­as­ta­tion at the “night­mare.” The 20-year-old was a sopho­more at the Uni­ver­si­ty of North Car­oli­na at Chapel Hill, and had been on an intern­ship at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cape Town. She was described as a pas­sion­ate hik­er who loved explor­ing South Africa.

The man­age­ment of South African Nation­al Parks, which over­sees Table Moun­tain, said Cheuvron­t’s cause of death was still unclear. Author­i­ties have urged peo­ple to avoid hik­ing alone, sug­gest­ing it be done in groups of at least four people.