NEED TO KNOW
- The family of Tim and Esther Keiderling, the father and daughter who died while hiking in Maine, has spoken out
- Heinrich Arnold, Tim’s brother-in-law, said the “heartbreaking tragedy” has been “difficult to fully grasp”
- Tim and Esther’s bodies were discovered on Mount Katahdin on June 3 and June 4, respectively
The family of Tim and Esther Keiderling, the father and daughter who died while hiking in Maine, has spoken out about the tragedy.
In a statement shared via the family’s New York-based church, Tim’s brother-in-law, Heinrich Arnold, thanked community members for their “outpouring of prayers and support” after the “heartbreaking tragedy.”
Explaining that Tim, a father of six, and Esther’s deaths have been “difficult to fully grasp,” he continued, “Both were taken from us far too soon, and we are all left asking: ‘Why?’ ”
“One comfort to the family is knowing that Tim and Esther were doing something they both were passionate about: being near to God, surrounded by expansive views and visions, immersed in nature, in the raw and wild beauty of creation,” added Arnold.
The relative also said: “The last few days have been filled with endless hours of heartache and prayer as we prayed for God’s protection and his comfort in this loss.”
Joe Keiderling, Tim’s brother, told NBC News that his sibling was “utterly unique.” The pair both worked for the medical supply company Rifton Equipment.
“Many young men and women remember him as an elementary school teacher who could hold them spellbound with wildly imaginative stories and escapades in the woods and fields of the Hudson Valley he called home,” Joe continued.
Of Esther, Joe said his niece was quiet but “deeply sensitive,” telling NBC News, “She loved reading and writing, with a particular fondness for the poets Gerard Manley Hopkins and Edna St. Vincent Millay.”
Tim, 58, and Esther, 28, both of Ulster Park, N.Y., were last seen on Sunday, June 1, at around 10:15 a.m. local time. They had set out from the Abol Campground to hike Mount Katahdin, according to a statement from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Days later, on Tuesday, June 3, authorities updated the statement, writing that a Maine Warden Service K9 search team found Tim’s body near the summit of the mountain, but his daughter remained missing.
The organization updated the statement again the following day on Wednesday, June 4, announcing that searchers had found Esther’s body.
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The Baxter State Park website describes the Katahdin trail as a “very strenuous climb, no matter which trailhead you choose,” adding that it can take an average of eight to 12 hours to hike round-trip.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for further updates on Friday, June 6.
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