Body recovery — Mount Lafayette, Nov 20, 2022

Emily Sotelo, 19, of Westford, MA

Sotelo was dropped off the morning of November 20 for a solo hike of Lafayette, Haystack, and Flume; per Pemigewasset Valley SAR, temperatures along the ridge were about zero degrees with 30-40 mph winds. When she did not return, a multi-day search ensued; searchers found her tracks and belongings at the headwaters of Lafayette Brook on November 22, and her body was recovered November 23, about three-quarters of a mile off the trail. Officials said she likely died of exposure. Her parents told WMUR she was an experienced summer hiker but had little winter experience.