79-year-old Florida man who went missing on Mount Washington found dead
Search teams located the body of a 79-year-old Florida man who went missing from the top of New Hampshire's Mount Washington after taking a train to the summit on Wednesday.
William Davis of Jacksonville and his wife took the Cog Railway up the 6,288-foot mountain. He was last seen near the observation deck at about 3:20 p.m., according to his wife.
"From there no one knows where he went," the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said in a statement.
A Mount Washington State Park employee was able to reach Davis by phone on Wednesday, and it appeared he had gotten lost but wasn't very far from the summit. However, authorities said an hour-long search did not locate Davis and he stopped answering his phone.
Two dozen rescuers and a drone team searched until 2 a.m. and started again early Thursday morning. Deteriorating weather conditions suspended the search on Thursday night, but it resumed Friday morning.
Body found 400 feet off trail
His body was found Friday morning 400 feet off Lion Head Trail between Alpine Garden Trail and Tuckerman Ravine Trail, New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
"Although it is too soon to determine the exact cause of death, it was clear at the scene that Davis suffered a significant fall from a steep, rocky slope," New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
Officials said there is no indication how Davis ended up at the location. "He was not a hiker, had no map, and every indication is he wandered off the summit without telling anyone where he was going," New Hampshire Fish and Game said.
An autopsy will determine the cause of his death.
The Cog Railway brings more than 100,000 visitors to the summit of Mount Washington annually. It was founded in 1869 and was the first mountain-climbing railway in the world.
The three-hour round trip via train offers riders a one-hour layover at summit, where people can visit an observation desk, museum and gift shops.