A 20-year-old American student from North Carolina went missing while hiking on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, and was later found dead, authorities said.
The body of Brooke Chevron, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was discovered Sunday. Chevron went missing on Saturday after her tracking app stopped updating and friends were unable to contact her, SANParks spokesman JP Lu told The Associated Press.
“She has recovered but we are heartbroken. God help me and us,” Steve Chevron said. Identified by WCNC Her father wrote in a Facebook post:
The cause of Chevron's death is unknown. The sophomore was an intern at the University of Cape Town, a Morehead-Cain Scholar and valedictorian for the Class of 2022 at Avery County High School, where her mother teaches. According to WNCN.
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Brooke Chevron was found dead after going on a hike in Cape Town, South Africa. (Facebook/Steve Chevron)
“Today, one of our teachers tragically lost a loved one,” high school Principal Jennifer O'Bryant wrote on Facebook. “We will have counselors and pastors at the school tomorrow for any students who need support. Students, if you feel so, please wear blue in support of the Chevron family.”
An initial search by rangers, Wilderness Search and Rescue workers and trail runners continued late Saturday night, but it had become impractical to continue the search, Lu told The Associated Press.
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Brooke Chevron, from Newland, North Carolina, was a valedictorian at her high school, according to media reports. (Facebook/Steve Chevron)
The next day, aircraft joined the search and helped find the body.
South African authorities are urging people to avoid hiking alone and to go in groups of at least four people.
Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, July 2023. (Shabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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Administrators of SANParks, which manages Table Mountain and other national parks, said an investigation into Chevron's death was continuing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
