Search Called Off for Woman Who Disappeared While Hiking in National Park After Over 100 People Helped Look for Her

“Our hearts go out to her family,” said the leader of a local search and rescue team

Woman goes missing while hiking in Canada National Park, Family Still Hasn’t Heard from Her Weeks Later

Denise Ann Williams.Credit : rcmp

NEED TO KNOW

The search has ended for a missing 62-year-old woman who disappeared during a hiking trip in eastern Canada last month
Denise Ann Williams was reported missing on Tuesday, April 28, over a week after she was last heard from
“No further search activity is planned at this time,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement

A 62-year-old woman vanished on a hiking trip in eastern Canada weeks ago. Now officials have shared they’ve made the difficult decision to suspend search efforts.

Denise Ann Williams was last heard from on Wednesday, April 15, with plans of traveling to Cheticamp, located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement. She was reported missing over a week later.

Following “an extensive six-day air and ground search of the area,” the decision to call off the search was announced on Monday, May 4.

“No further search activity is planned at this time,” the agency continued.

Many questions remain for Williams’ loved ones in Australia.

Almost two weeks after the hiker was last heard from, she was reported missing on the morning of Tuesday, April 28. She was believed to be hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and her rental car, a Nissan Sentra, was later found near the Acadian Trailhead.

That Tuesday, a large search operation involving multiple agencies — including the RCMP and the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association — began. Teams searched for the missing 62-year-old for six days, but they were unable to find her.

Williams is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, with greyish blonde hair. She’s last believed to be wearing a dark winter jacket, a knitted cap with “Antartica” written on it, an orange-and-blue scarf and glasses.

Woman goes missing while hiking in Canada National Park, Family Still Hasn’t Heard from Her Weeks Later

Denise Ann Williams.rcmp

Nova Scotia police corporal Mandy Edwards previously told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that animals could pose a threat to hikers in the region.

“Bears are coming out of hibernation,” she told the outlet. “It’s also mating season.”

In total, more than 100 people helped search for Williams, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported. RCMP Cpl. Mandy Edwards said that the search was suspended because the difficult operation had resulted in no new information to guide additional search efforts. Edwards added that Williams had been hiking alone on vacation, so it’s possible that her family expected her to be out of touch for a length of time.

Chris Bellemore, president of Cheticamp Search and Rescue, told the outlet that the region has “some of the most challenging terrain in Nova Scotia.”

The search teams didn’t always stay on trails and had to navigate difficult ground, including steep slopes and wet and snowy sections.

RV driving on the Cabot Trail roadway in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

A roadway in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.Getty

“Our hearts go out to her family,” Bellemore added.