- State police, with the help of a search dog, discovered a missing woman in Vermont last week
- The body is believed to be that of 51-year-old Sue Mi Ko, who went missing in January
- “She has been on everyone’s minds in the North East Kingdom since search efforts were hampered and delayed by difficult terrain and high snowpack,” North Country Search Dogs shared on Facebook
Vermont authorities taking part in a training last week believe they discovered the body of a hiker who went missing back in January, with the help of a rescue dog.
On Wednesday, April 30, the Vermont State Police announced that it had discovered what is believed to be the body of 51-year-old Sue Mi Ko earlier that afternoon — over three months after the Craftsbury woman was initially reported missing on Jan. 9.
During the rescue, which happened during a search and rescue team training near Lake Willoughby in the town of Westmore, crews recovered the woman’s body “several hundred yards from the Mount Pisgah trailhead,” per state police.
The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington will next conduct an autopsy to determine the woman’s cause and manner of death, however, state police notes that there are “no indications that this incident is suspicious.”
A spokesperson for the VSP confirmed to PEOPLE on Thursday, May 8, that no further information was available.
According to the VSP, the agency was first notified of Ko’s missing status on Jan. 9, when she “was overdue” in the area of the Mount Pisgah trailhead. Ko’s vehicle was discovered in a trailhead parking at the time, per the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
The woman’s body was also located thanks to the work of Radar, a black German Shepherd rescue dog, according to a Facebook post by North Country Search Dogs in West Wardsboro, Vermont.
“Yesterday, one of our search dogs located the remains of Sue Mi Ko, who has been missing since early January. She has been on everyone’s minds in the North East Kingdom since search efforts were hampered and delayed by difficult terrain and high snowpack,” the nonprofit shared in its statement.
“North Country Search Dogs has been very invested in this search — this was the third time our dogs were deployed to look for Sue Mi, and we’ve been impatiently waiting for the snow to melt so we could get back out there. We were searching yesterday in parallel with the Vermont State Police SAR team, who were conducting a team training in the area.”
The nonprofit added that it is “proud and honored to provide some closure for Sue Mi’s family, who have been through the agony of unknowing and can now begin the next stage of the grieving process.”
As for the dog responsible for the discovery, Radar “delivered the result we have all been hoping for” as he alerted his handler, Katie.
“A find like this is the result of countless hours of training and we commend Radar and Katie for their dedication,” North Country Search Dogs added.
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