A medical examiner has revealed that 28-year-old Esther Keiderling died from blunt force trauma during a Mount Katahdin trail hike in Maine. Her father, Tim Keiderling, 58, also died on the same hike, but the cause of his death has not yet been determined. The father-daughter duo from Ulster Park, New York, embarked on the hike on June 1, but their adventure ended in tragedy.
According to investigators, harsh weather conditions, including wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour, sleet, rain, and snow, impacted the father and daughter as they climbed. Wind chills dropped into the teens, making hypothermia a high risk. Despite reaching the summit of Saddle Trail, the Keiderlings veered off course during their descent.
A large-scale search was initiated on June 3 after the Keiderlings failed to check in. A Maine Warden Service K9 search team located Tim's body near the summit of the mountain, and Esther's body was found the following day in a wooded area between the Cathedral and Saddle Trails.
The family is still grappling with the loss, with Tim's brother-in-law Heinrich Arnold expressing their grief and thanking the community for their support. "Both were taken from us far too soon, and we are all left asking: ‘Why?’" Arnold wrote, finding solace in the fact that Tim and Esther were doing something they were passionate about – immersing themselves in nature.
The Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has released Esther's cause of death, but Tim's cause of death is still pending further studies. As the investigation continues.
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