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Officials find the body of a woman who got off a cruise ship in Alaska to hike and didn’t return

JUNEAU, ALASKA, JUL 4 – Multi-agency teams used helicopters, drones, and K-9s to find Dr. Marites Buenafe after a solo hike; her body was located near Gold Ridge, Alaska, four days after she went missing.

  • Authorities recovered the body of 62-year-old Dr. Marites Buenafe near Gold Ridge, Juneau, Alaska, on July 3, after she went missing from a cruise ship on July 1.
  • Marites Buenafe disembarked from the Norwegian Bliss to undertake a trek from Gold Ridge toward Gastineau Peak but failed to reboard before the vessel's scheduled 1:30 p.m. departure, leading her family to report her missing to the Juneau Police Department on July 1.
  • Search efforts involved multiple agencies including Juneau Mountain Rescue, Alaska State Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Alaska Army National Guard using ground teams, helicopters, and thermal drones amid challenging terrain and weather.
  • At 11:56 a.m. on July 3, a helicopter team from the Alaska Army National Guard discovered her remains roughly 1,700 feet below the Gold Ridge ridge line; her family was informed, and arrangements were made for an autopsy.
  • Officials emphasized the importance of informing someone about hiking plans to enable timely search and rescue responses, reflecting on the circumstances of Buenafe’s disappearance and the multi-agency cooperation involved.
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The body of 62-year-old Kentucky resident Marites Buenafe was found by the crew on Thursday night under the crest of Gold Ridge

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The Kentucky Kernel broke the news in on Friday, July 4, 2025.
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