How did Alisonstar Molaf die? Hiker, 25, found dead in Washington may have been high on mushrooms
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON: A New Jersey woman found dead after going missing during a hike outside of Seattle last Friday, March 18 was believed to have been under the influence of mushrooms, as per authorities. Alisonstar Molaf, 25, of Ridgefield Park, went hiking with a friend when the two became separated on a trail in Gold Bar, Washington.
On March 18, around 8 pm, Park Rangers were contacted by a woman near a trailhead at Wallace Falls who said she was hiking with her friend but was unable to find her. Rescuers from the sheriff's office, including a swift water rescue team searched for the missing woman, Friday night but were unable to find her, authorities said. They resumed the search by returning to the area on Saturday, March 19, where they located the 25-year-old's body down the river from the Wallace Falls Trail.
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"It is believed the two hikers were under the influence of mushrooms," the local sheriff's office said. "The death appears to be accidental." The authorities also said the other hiker was not injured. According to AllTrails, the three-hour hike near Gold Bar, Washington, which Molaf and her friend embarked on is considered as "moderately challenging." The trail is on the western edge of the Cascade Mountains, about 45 miles northeast of Seattle.
According to Molaf's Facebook page, the 25-year-old woman was a native of Bergen County. She studied at Hasbrouck Heights High School and Montclair State University. Meanwhile, a friend of Molaf soliciting money for funeral expenses wrote on GoFundMe, "To Our Angel, The memories you have created with family and friends will always be remembered and never forgotten. You will truly be missed and were taken far too soon from us." At the time of writing this article $7000 has been raised.
Magic mushrooms, which contain the natural compound psilocybin, are decriminalized in Seattle. State legislators in Olympia are considering a bill that would legalize the drug for therapeutic use. Mushrooms are legal in neighboring Oregon. As per reports, drugs like psilocybin play all sorts of tricks on the mind. They distort the perception of time, space and self, and even untether the senses. However, psilocybin is considered to have extremely low toxicity, and cases of death have been extremely rare.