Overview

• Hannah Moody, 31, was reported missing on May 21 after friends lost contact and her body was discovered the next day around 12:05 p.m. about 600 yards off-trail near the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
• Search efforts involved more than 20 officers on foot and bicycles, drones, a Phoenix Police Department helicopter and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office air unit.
• Investigators found no obvious signs of foul play or trauma at the scene, and the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
• Moody had amassed over 45,000 Instagram followers by documenting her hiking adventures and had recently shared a video expressing gratitude for sunset hikes.
• Her family has speculated that extreme heat—temperatures in Scottsdale topped 100 °F around the time she was found—may have played a role in her death.