The body of the Idaho hiker who went missing during the government shutdown has been recovered on Tuesday, nearly a month after the woman’s disappearance was reported to police.
Search and rescue operations for the Idaho hiker had to be suspended due to the shutdown, which lasted for three weeks.
The body of Dr. Jo Elliott-Blakeslee, 63, was discovered in Craters of the Moon National Park just one mile from where her friend Amy Linkert, 69, was found in late September.
The physician and her companion were reported missing by their families on September 24, they were last seen on September 19 at a park campground.
The Idaho hiker could not be located when authorities found Linkert’s body a few days later and had to stop rescue efforts due to lack of federal resources such as helicopters, dogs, and planes.
Despite being unpaid and furloughed 10 Park Rangers spent their own private time and continued with efforts to locate the missing Idaho hiker to no avail, until Wednesday October 23, a day short of a month since the two women went missing.
The friends’ car was discovered at the park, with their purses, cell phones, and dogs inside.
Once the government re-opened last week, search and rescue operations were renewed and on Tuesday, Jo Elliott-Blakeslee’s body was finally recovered.
“We hope that this will bring closure to her family, friends and all those who have been involved in the search,” Park Superintendent Dan Buckley said in a statement. “We join the family in thanking the searchers and local communities for the tremendous outpouring of support that we have received throughout this intense effort.”
A final cause of death for the Idaho hiker is still pending from the corner’s office and authorities investigating the incident.
Elliott-Blakeslee’s family had been holding out hope that the missing Idaho hiker would be found alive, but it was not to be. The park rangers who volunteered in her search will be paid retroactively.
