Missing hiker from Michigan found dead in Calaveras County wilderness
A Michigan woman who was reported missing in mid-November was found dead near the San Antonio Falls west of Arnold in Calaveras County on Thursday morning.
Ann Marie Herford, 66, was a traveling nurse practitioner last seen by Arnold residents Nov. 12 and reported missing Nov. 14 after not showing up to work at Adventist Health in Sonora. The next day, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Arnold Rim trailhead and found Herford’s vehicle in the parking lot.
Over the next weeks, the search for Herford expanded significantly and at one point involved over 20 agencies, 132 search teams, nearly 4,000 search hours and over 500 investigative hours.
Agencies including the Air National Guard, forensic teams coordinated by the California Office of Emergency Services and several law enforcement teams canvassed 12 square miles and created over 2,400 linear miles of search tracks through rugged wilderness. The search also utilized off-road vehicles, dive teams and specialized canine search teams.
Forensics teams analyzed Herford’s cell phone and computer data, security footage and vehicle for further clues about her whereabouts.
On Nov. 22, the Calaveras Sheriff’s Office scaled back its efforts to a “limited and continuous search and investigation.” Residents and hikers were asked to keep an eye out while traversing the trail.
Herford’s body was found about a half mile east of San Antonio Falls by the Sheriff’s Office at about 9 a.m. Thursday in an “extremely steep and dense” section of the area, according to a release.
Chad Poortinga, administrative sergeant for the Sheriff’s Office, said the location of her body indicated she had gone off the trail.
Poortinga said the Arnold Rim Trail is well-traveled but a difficult hike. The farther one travels into the Sierra Nevada, depending on the section, the trail begins to thin out and includes steep terrain with rock faces.
“Even for experienced hikers going out into the Arnold Rim Trail, they can easily get disoriented or mixed up on the route that they’re taking. So it doesn’t matter your level in this particular area. I mean, you could end up disoriented regardless of whether you’re an everyday walker or hiker,” said Poortinga.
Herford had told a friend she intended to go on a hike. Poortinga said he recommends always telling someone the details of your travel plans before setting out alone into the wilderness. He also urges hikers to bring necessary supplies, particularly as temperatures begin to drop well below freezing overnight.
“You might need a first aid kit with you, you might need to carry a blanket with you, some water and food supplies, those kinds of things. Because you never know if you’re going to end up being out there longer than anticipated and/or overnight,” Poortinga said.
