Missing NJ Hiker Found Dead In Washington State Park

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WA — The body of a missing New Jersey hiker was found Saturday in a Washington state park, one day after she was reported missing, according to police.

The 25-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was hiking with a friend near Wallace Falls on Friday, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Around 8 p.m., the woman's friend told park rangers she couldn't find her friend after the pair became separated on Wallace Falls Trail.

Deputies, search and rescue, and fire rescue teams searched for the missing woman Friday night but were unable to find her, authorities said. Searchers returned to the area Saturday and found her body downriver from the trail.

"It is believed the two hikers were under the influence of mushrooms," the sheriff’s office said. "The death appears to be accidental."

The Wallace Falls Trail is in Wallace Falls State Park, located on the western edge of the Cascade Mountains, about 45 miles northeast of Seattle.