Tourist who missed Norwegian cruise ship discovered dead on mountain trail in Alaska
Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was visiting Alaska's capital city when she did not return from a hike.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said her body was found by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew late Thursday below the ridge line of Gold Ridge.
Buenafe is listed as a doctor at UK HealthCare, a system of hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky.
State troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue were able to recover Buenafe's body with help from Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard.
Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was visiting Alaska's capital city when she did not return from a hike.
ALASKA STATE TROOPERS
Her family has been notified of her death and her body will be sent to the state's medical examiner's office for an autopsy, the Associated Press reported.
On July 1, the Juneau Police Department heard from Buenafe's relatives that she had left for a hike that morning and had plans to take a popular tourist tram partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau before walking to Gastineau Peak and Gold Ridge, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
She had gotten off the Norwegian Bliss and did not return to the vessel by its departure time.
Norwegian Bliss cruise ship docked oh the west side of Manhattan after a week at sea.
John Roca
'We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the guest,' a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
'Our CARE team is providing support to the guest's family and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
08-07-2025
- New York Post
Tourist who missed Norwegian cruise ship discovered dead on mountain trail in Alaska
A tourist who went missing after she failed to return to her cruise ship last week has been found dead. Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was visiting Alaska's capital city when she did not return from a hike. The Alaska Department of Public Safety said her body was found by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew late Thursday below the ridge line of Gold Ridge. Buenafe is listed as a doctor at UK HealthCare, a system of hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. State troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue were able to recover Buenafe's body with help from Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard. Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was visiting Alaska's capital city when she did not return from a hike. ALASKA STATE TROOPERS Her family has been notified of her death and her body will be sent to the state's medical examiner's office for an autopsy, the Associated Press reported. On July 1, the Juneau Police Department heard from Buenafe's relatives that she had left for a hike that morning and had plans to take a popular tourist tram partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau before walking to Gastineau Peak and Gold Ridge, according to the state Department of Public Safety. She had gotten off the Norwegian Bliss and did not return to the vessel by its departure time. Norwegian Bliss cruise ship docked oh the west side of Manhattan after a week at sea. John Roca 'We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the guest,' a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'Our CARE team is providing support to the guest's family and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.'
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Fox News
Tourist who missed Norwegian cruise ship discovered dead on mountain trail in Alaska
A tourist who went missing after she failed to return to her cruise ship last week has been found dead. Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was visiting Alaska's capital city when she did not return from a hike. The Alaska Department of Public Safety said her body was found by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew late Thursday below the ridge line of Gold Ridge. Buenafe is listed as a doctor at UK HealthCare, a system of hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. State troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue were able to recover Buenafe's body with help from Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard. Her family has been notified of her death and her body will be sent to the state's medical examiner's office for an autopsy, the Associated Press reported. On July 1, the Juneau Police Department heard from Buenafe's relatives that she had left for a hike that morning and had plans to take a popular tourist tram partially up a mountain overlooking downtown Juneau before walking to Gastineau Peak and Gold Ridge, according to the state Department of Public Safety. She had gotten off the Norwegian Bliss and did not return to the vessel by its departure time. Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Body of hiking cruise passenger found in Alaska
July 4 (UPI) -- Rescuers in Alaska recovered the body of a 62-year-old woman who went on a hike in the mountains near Juneau after leaving the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship. Marites Buenafe, a medical doctor from Kentucky, was a passenger on the Norwegian Bliss, which was a seven-day round-trip from Seattle. Her body was found on Thursday, the Alaska Department of Public Safety State Troopers announced. Around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, she texted family members that she was going up going up Mount Roberts Tramway in Juneau and would hike from Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak, the troopers reported. Security footage showed Buenafe at the top of the tramway. The 4-mile hike is challenging and usually takes three hours, hiking website AllTrails states. The ship was scheduled to depart around 1:30 p.m. At around 3:15, Buenafe was reported missing. Juneau Mountain Rescue searched on the ground and used thermal drones to scan the area, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Also, an Alaska Wildlife Troopers helicopter and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter conducted aerial searches, the department said. The search continued Wednesday with more than a dozen professional volunteers, as well as Juneau police officers, Alaska state troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue. Also utilized were drones and K-9s. Helicopter use was limited because of windy conditions. The search resumed Thursday. At 11:56 a.m., Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew located Buenafe's body some approximately 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Crews then recovered her body, which was taken to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy. Buenafe was listed on the University of Kentucky Healthcare system's website as a doctor. DPS spokesperson Austin McDaniel told KYES-TV it is important to inform somebody of hiking plans. "If you don't return on time, they can alert first responders, alert search and rescue teams, the troopers, so we can immediately begin formulating a plan and activating resources to help get you out of the field," McDaniel said.
