Local News

Body of 79-year-old who went missing on Mount Washington found

William Davis, 79, of Jacksonville, Florida, wandered off after taking the Cog Train to the top of Mount Washington.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway. Mount Washington Cog Railway

July 18, 2025

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4:50 p.m. update: The body of 79-year-old Florida man William Davis has been found, WMUR reported Friday. Davis’s body was located on the southeast side of the summit, and his cause of death was not immediately clear, according to the local news station. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials did not return a request for comment Friday afternoon.

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Original story:

New Hampshire officials are continuing their search for a Florida man who went missing Wednesday after wandering away from the Mount Washington summit.

William Davis, 79, of Jacksonville, disappeared after taking the Cog Train to the top, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

“According to Davis’s wife, he was last seen in the area of the observation deck around 3:20 p.m.,” the department explained in a news release. “From there, no one knows where he went.”

A state park employee made contact with Davis by phone, and authorities said it appeared Davis was lost off-trail but not very far from the summit.

“He did not know where he was, but his description of the area made it seem that he would be easily located,” Fish and Game said. “However, after searching for over an hour he was not located and had stopped answering his phone.”

Fish and Game officials were notified of Davis’s disappearance around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

A full-scale search ensued, but with “no evidence of his whereabouts and no clues to go on,” authorities paused their efforts between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Thursday. Search teams also battled thick clouds and increasing winds throughout the day Thursday as they scoured off-trail locations, prompting authorities to suspend the search overnight.

The search for Davis resumed Friday morning.