How did Jennifer Coleman die? Virginia hiker, 34, found dead at Glacier National Park
A Virginia woman who went missing last week at Glacier National Park in Montana has been found dead in a steep and rocky area near the Continental Divide, park officials said.
Jennifer Coleman, 34, of Richmond, was reported missing on Wednesday, September 1, the National Park Service (NPS) said. Coleman was believed to have gone on a solo hike around Logan Pass on August 30 or August 31 and never returned. "Many thanks to everyone for the kind words, prayers, messages," Coleman’s parents Hal and Sharon wrote on social media after receiving news of the discovery. "People have been a blessing to us. We are thankful and appreciative to the bottom of our hearts. No words to describe the grief."
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Park officials have confirmed that Coleman may have been hiking on the Highline Trail or a dangerous ridge used as an off-trail climbing route known as the Dragon’s Tail, the Daily Inter Lake reported. As many as 50 personnel searched the rugged terrain of Glacier after park officials found Coleman’s vehicle in the Logan Pass parking lot on Wednesday afternoon, the NPS said. Rescuers were unable to recover Coleman’s body by air on Sunday, September 5, due to high wind conditions, the NPS said. The extraction is expected to resume when weather conditions permit. As many as 50 people joined the search effort after her vehicle was found in the parking lot.
The AWARE Foundation, which advocates for missing people and of which Coleman's parents are leaders, confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Sunday. "It is with heavy heart that we have to share this news. Jennifer Coleman, daughter of one of our own AWARE family, Hal and Sharon Coleman, has been located deceased. Details surrounding this tragedy are not available at this time. Please respect the family as they process their grief & loss. Please also respect us with the foundation as we comfort the Coleman's," the post read. According to AWARE, Coleman was last heard from on August 30, when she sent a text from Highline Trail/Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet in Montana.
'She was to pick up her dogs from a boarding facility the following day, but never showed to get them,' the organization, which advocates for missing persons, commented in the post.
Marilee Mason, Coleman's best friend, said that her best friend was tough as nails and an experienced hiker. "If she's out there and she's lost, then that means she does need help,' Mason told reporters shortly after Coleman went missing. "I just want to reach as many people as possible spread awareness, and just try, on the off chance that anybody has maybe seen her in the last three days, reach them."
