Body of Missing Hiker, 61, Found at Bottom of Oregon Cliff After Not Returning from Solo Trip

Mar. 15, 2025

View from trail behind Ponytail Falls (a.k.a. Upper Horsetail Falls).Photo:Greg Vaughn /VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty

Greg Vaughn /VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty

The body of a missing 61-year-old female hiker was found Saturday at the bottom of a cliff near Horsetail Falls in Oregon, authorities said.

In a news release shared with PEOPLE on Monday, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said a friend of the unnamed woman reported her missing at about 10 p.m. local time on Friday after she did not return from a scheduled solo hike at Oneonta Falls.

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Officials with the MCSO and the Gresham Police Department began their search throughout that evening, going on to note that drones were employed. The sheriff’s office said that the hiker didn’t carry a cellphone, so authorities weren’t able to determine her location via cell tower pings.

“At approximately 12:30 p.m., the missing hiker was found at the bottom of a cliff near Horsetail Falls Trailhead,” the MCSO said in its news release. “E Old Historic Columbia Highway was closed, briefly, in both directions so that the deceased hiker’s remains could be safely recovered.

“The medical examiner’s office responded and took custody of the hiker’s remains and will determine the official cause of death,” officials added. “The name of the deceased hiker is being withheld until next of kin notifications are completed.”

source: people.com