The Death Of A Hiker In Great Smoky Mountains National Park Was From Hypothermia

Credit: Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
This past October, Mitzie Sue "Susan" Clements was hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail with her daughter in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The two ended up taking two separate routes and planned to meet at a parking lot near Clingmans Dome. Susan Clements never made it to that meetup.

When 53-year-old mother did not show up, her 20-year-old daughter reported her missing. The massive search that followed involved more than 200 people. It was about a week later that Clements was found dead in "incredibly thick" vegetation about 2 miles from the Clingmans Dome parking area.

The Swain County, N.C. medical examiner has released the cause of death as "complications of hypothermia". It was also confirmed that there were signs of dehydration as well, but there were no other signs of trauma. There were also no signs of foul play in Clements' death.

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