Park Service issued alert on missing Yosemite hiker. Days later, they say actually she died
A hiker declared missing in Yosemite National Park late last week was found dead the same day, authorities said Friday, with no explanation why the announcement of her death took so long.
The woman previously was identified as 41-year-old “Alice” Yu Xie, a Chinese national living in the U.S. Through social media and website posts on the morning of Jan. 16, the park had put out word on her disappearance.
It wasn’t until nearly a week later that a new post stated that her body had been found that same day at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall.
Her family had been notified, authorities said, but it was not clear if that was the reason for the delay in updating the status of the search.
Also still a mystery: What led to the woman’s death. There was no mention of a possible cause, or even if it appeared accidental.
No one at the park could be reached for comment Saturday.
Xie “was reported overdue on Friday, January 15, 2021, after planning to hike to the top of Yosemite Falls,” the national park stated in its Facebook post.
She traveled to Yosemite from Mariposa on a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System bus Jan. 14.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Branch at 888-653-0009 or online at the National Park Service tip line at www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/submit-a-tip.htm.
Investigators would like to speak to people who were on the trail to the top of Yosemite Falls on Jan. 14 or 15, even if they don’t think they saw the woman.
Xie was described as 5 feet tall,weighing less than 100 pounds, with neck-length black hair.
She could have been wearing a black shirt, a striped red and black shirt, and either a gray hooded sweatshirt with “Yosemite Half Dome” on the front or a black hooded insulated jacket with black jeans. She was hiking with a small green backpack.
