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07.13.09
Body Found On Mount
Washington I.D.'d As That Of Canadian Hiker
A body recovered on Mount Washington on the evening
of July 6, 2009, has been identified as that of Peter Shintani, age 70,
of Napanee, Ontario, according to Sgt. Wayne Saunders of the New
Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Hikers had reported finding a body off the Lion's Head Trail on Mount
Washington, the highest peak in New Hampshire's White Mountains, late
Monday afternoon. Personnel from the Mount Washington State Park hiked
to the area and confirmed the location of the body, approximately
three-quarters of a mile from the top of the mountain. It was a few
hundred feet from the trail, hidden from view from the trail or from the
air by rocky ledges. Conservation Officers from the N.H. Fish and Game
Department, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team
and personnel from the Mount Washington State Park hiked to the
location, along with a Medical Examiner and State Police Troop F
Detective Sgt. Michael Marshall, who began an investigation at the
scene. The body was transported to the summit of Mount Washington and
taken down the mountain via the auto road. State Police then sent the
body to the State Medical Examiners Office in Concord, N.H., for an
autopsy and positive
identification.
Shintani had been missing for more than a week before his absence was
reported on June 16, 2009. An extensive ground and air search of the
Mount Washington area was launched, but failed to locate any sign of
him. In all, more than 70 rescuers and a N.H. Army National Guard
helicopter combed the rugged mountain area during the three-day search,
which was finally called off on June 18, 2009. Following the search, N.H.
Fish and Game continued to seek information from the hiking community
about possible sightings or other clues. Shintani's sister in Ontario
has been notified of the positive identification. |
