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Search turns up no sign so far of missing hiker in New Hampshire

Emily Sotelo, 19, of Westford, Massachusetts, was dropped off Sunday morning at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia with the plan to hike Mount Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume.

Emily Sotelo did not return from her intended hiking route of Mount Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume on Sunday. NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief

By Heather Alterisio

1 minute to read

New Hampshire officials and volunteers resumed their search Tuesday for a 19-year-old hiker, who is more than two days “overdue” returning from her intended route.

Emily Sotelo was dropped off Sunday morning at Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia with the plan to hike Mount Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume, according to the NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief.

The Westford, Massachusetts, resident was attempting to finish hiking every 4,000-foot peak in New Hampshire before her 20th birthday this week, New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Chief Col. Kevin Jordan told The Boston Globe.

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“She was an experienced hiker for summer conditions. Not so much in winter,” Sotelo’s mother, Olivera, told the Globe, noting that she only had “four or five” mountains left to check off her list.

Sotelo was last seen wearing a brown jacket and exercise pants. She is approximately 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs about 115 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes, conservation officials said.

Any hikers who may have encountered Sotelo along this route are asked to call New Hampshire State Police Dispatch at 603-271-1170.

The Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team, an all-volunteer group that helps New Hampshire Fish and Game with search and rescue efforts, has been involved in the search efforts, noting Sunday that the “temperature along the ridge is about zero” and, with 30- to 40-mph winds, the chill factor is -30.

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In an update posted to its Facebook page Monday night, the team wrote, “Day 2 of search. Wish we had good news to report, but there is no news. The missing hiker has not been located as of 5:00 pm EST. Over 60 ground searchers, plus air support and incident command, representing multiple governmental agencies and NH SAR teams.”

The volunteer team said it would be back out again on Tuesday.

It also confirmed that helicopters are involved in the search “when weather permits.”

See below for images and information about the helicopter’s flight path:

Heather Alterisio

Senior Content Producer

Heather Alterisio, a senior content producer, joined Boston.com in 2022 after working for more than five years as a general assignment reporter at newspapers in Massachusetts.

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