Overview

• Elaine McSorley, 71, disappeared on 27 September after leaving the Ghost Mountain Inn on a self-guided walk as her 81-year-old partner turned back due to heat.
• Authorities called off the physical search on 5 October after extensive ground and aerial operations found no trace of her.
• The operation involved SAPS units, IPSS Search and Rescue, K9 teams, drones, helicopters, fixed‑wing aircraft, community policing forum members, anti-poaching rangers, local farmers, and volunteers.
• The last confirmed sighting was at 3 p.m. when a nearby farm manager gave her directions back toward the hotel, and a map she had taken was later found off the recommended route near the property.
• uMkhuze SAPS continues to investigate and appeals for information from the public, while the hotel says her companion has left the property and police said they believed he was flying home.