Maine

2 Mass. Hikers Found Dead After Apparent Fall in Maine's Acadia National Park

A search for the Rutland couple began on Friday evening after family members reported them overdue

Acadia National Park sign winter
NBC10 Boston/necn

The bodies of two hikers were found Saturday in Acadia National Park after being reported missing Friday night, authorities said.

The woman, 30, and man, 28, from Rutland, Massachusetts, appeared to have fallen about 100 feet along an ice-covered cliff on Dorr Mountain, according to the National Park Service.

The pair of hikers haven't been identified.

The search for the couple began Friday evening when family members reported them overdue -- they had been scheduled to check out of their hotel and return their vehicle Friday afternoon, according to a news release from the park service.

They were last heard from around noon on Thursday, when the woman told family members about wanting to hike Cadillac Mountain during a phone call with family members, authorities said. Cadillac Mountain is near Dorr Mountain.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that has thermal imaging technology was brought in from Cape Cod for the search Friday night into Saturday, but didn't find anyone on the north and east sides of Dorr and Cadillac mountains, authorities said.

On Saturday morning, the search began on the ground with 15 volunteers from Mount Desert Island Search and Rescue, park staff and a helicopter from the Maine Forest Service, according to authorities. Searchers on foot found the bodies Saturday morning.

The incident remains under investigation by Maine State Police and the Bar Harbor Police Department.

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