A California woman who had gone missing while on a hiking trip has been discovered dead from a suspected suicide, according to her family.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office stated that the body of 26-year-old Kerina Blue was found on Sunday in the vicinity of Green Valley Trail near the small town of Alta, which is located about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office received a call from the Sacramento Police Department concerning Blue, who had been reported missing by her parents. She was described as being at-risk because of an unspecified medical condition.
The body of California hiker Kerina Blue, 26, was discovered by searchers on Sunday near Alta, California
After Blue’s body was recovered, her family released a statement, revealing that she had been struggling with depression and likely took her own life
Dozens of searchers, K-9 units and helicopters spent more than a day scouring the rugged, steep and densely forested terrain
Blue’s phone last pinged on Friday afternoon near Green Valley Trail outside Alta
Blue’s last known location was Green Valley Trail, a popular hiking spot where the terrain is rugged, steep and densely forested.
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Blue’s older sister wrote on her Instagram page that according to the authorities, the missing woman’s phone last pinged at 2:30pm on Friday five miles northeast of Emigrant Gap, off of I-80.
‘Kerina wasn’t home to feed her cat and does not usually hike, especially not alone,’ the sister wrote on social media.
Dozens of searchers, K-9 units and helicopters spent the day on Saturday looking for the missing woman before the search was suspended for the night.
The search resumed on Sunday morning, and by the afternoon Blue’s body had been recovered near the Green Valley Trail. Deputies said that no foul play was suspected.
Blue’s sister (pictured together, left) wrote on social media that the woman does not usually hike, especially not alone
Blue’s family on Sunday released a statement on the sister’s Instagram account, revealing that the 26-year-old had been struggling with mental health issues from the time she was a child, and that she likely took her own life.
‘Our family is devastated to report we lost our beautiful Kerina this weekend,’ the message read in part. ‘Thank you for all of the outpouring of love and support. While there were indications if was self harm, we do not yet know the exact cause of death. We do know she has struggled with depression and mental illness for the past 14 years.’
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255
Source: Daily Mail
