Report: Medical Examiner Says Cleves Woman Lost In Smokies Died Of Hypothermia

Mitzie Clements went missing during a hike in the national park last September.

Mitzie "Susan" Clements died after going missing in the Great Smoky Mountains last September. File photo.

(Cleves, Oh.) - A Cleves woman who got lost while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains last September died of hypothermia and exposure, a medical examiner has determined.

The medical examiner in Swain County, North Carolina has released the report on the death of Mitzie “Susan” Clements, WBIR-TV reported Tuesday.

The 53-year-old was hiking with her adult daughter on the Forney Ridge Trail to Andrew’s Bald in the Clingman’s Dome area of the park when they got separated on September 25. Hundreds of volunteers searched the rugged back country area of the park.

Her body was found in a drainage area of Huggins Creek, about two miles from the Clingman’s Dome parking area, on October 2. The search had been hindered by weather and low visibility in the mountains.

Dehydration was a contributing factor in Clements’ death. The medical examiner’s report says the death was accidental with no signs of trauma or foul play. A date and time of death could not be determined in the report.

At the time she disappeared, Clements was only wearing a zip-up sweater, spandex pants, athletic shoes and a plastic poncho. She had no food, phone, flashlight, or other supplies. The weather in the park had been rainy with high temperatures only in the 50s or 40s.

Park rangers believe Clements had missed a turn on the Forney Ridge Trail after telling her daughter to run ahead to the Clingman’s Dome parking area. Missing the turn took her along the Appalachian Trail, instead of back to the parking lot. Her daughter reported her missing when she did not return.

Searchers had to look across some rugged terrain in order to locate the body of Mitzie "Susan" Clements. Photo by Jeff Wadley, Backcountry Search and Rescue.

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