Authorities have released the cause of death for a father was found dead on Maine’s tallest mountain after hiking with his daughter.
Esther Keiderling, 28, and her father Tim, 58, were declared missing on Tuesday, June 3. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said Tim was found dead that same day, and Esther was found dead the next day on Wednesday, June 4.
Tim died from “complications of hypothermia,” the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told WMTW, WGME and News Center Maine on Thursday, June 26.
A medical examiner previously confirmed to PEOPLE the cause of death for Esther, 28, was from blunt force trauma.
Esther may have slid down the terrain with an uncontrollable force, as her remains were found in a snow-covered boulder field below the Cathedral Cut-off Trail, News Center Maine reported.
Witnesses told investigators that Tim, 58, and Esther were continuing their climb when harsh weather conditions occurred, including wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour, per the report.
Esther and Tim were both from Ulster Park, N.Y., according to authorities.
The father and daughter were last seen around 10:15 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 1, when they set out from Abol Campground to hike Mount Katahdin, they added.
The Baxter State Park website describes the Katahdin trail as a “very strenuous climb, no matter which trailhead you choose” that can take about eight to 12 hours to hike round-trip.
Rangers began searching for Ether and Tim after their vehicle was found parked at the trailhead, according to authorities.
Tim’s body was found a few hours after the search began, but the search for his daughter lasted for a day, they added.
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Multiple teams assisted with the search, including game wardens, K9 teams, helicopters from the Maine Forest Service, and the Maine Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers.
“The Maine Army National Guard and their helicopters also assisted with the transportation of searchers, and searching trails, streams and the Tablelands from the air,” officials said.
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