Missing hiker’s body found under large boulder in river, New Hampshire searchers say

The body of an “avid hiker” who went missing four weeks ago in New Hampshire’s White Mountains was discovered wedged under a large boulder in the Dry River, according to searchers.

A cause of death for William Donovan, 65, has not been released. He was visiting the area from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

His body was recovered around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 13, more than 2.5 miles from the nearest road in the Dry River Wilderness, the N.H. Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division reported in a news release.

“The searchers worked for hours to extricate the body from beneath a large boulder. But due to the size of the boulder, freezing cold water temperatures and lack of tools required to move such a boulder, additional resources were called to assist,” the division said.

“It is unknown how he entered the water. ... It appears he likely was somehow forced off the ridge, likely due to high winds or adverse weather, between Mt. Monroe and Mt. Eisenhower during his hike and ended up in very difficult and desolate terrain.”

The Dry River Wilderness area covers 29,000 acres and has “43 miles of maintained hiking trails,” the U.S. Forest Service says.

Donovan was reported missing April 16 and a vehicle belonging to him was found at the Crawford Path parking lot in Carroll, about an 85-mile drive north from Concord.

Temperatures were low enough at the time to keep “several feet of deep snow” on the ground at higher elevations, officials said.

“Searches were directed to this new search area by gear and a jacket believed to have belonged to Donovan that was found over the weekend (May 11-12) in the river by hikers and reported to Fish and Game,” officials said.

“This evidence helped focus the search and his body was ultimately located approximately 400 feet upstream from the jacket. ... The body was relayed to the State Medical Examiners Officer in Concord for autopsy.”

Donovan lives alone and a note left in his Cambridge home revealed he hoped to “possibly hike Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Adams,” officials said.

This story was originally published May 14, 2024 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Missing hiker’s body found under large boulder in river, New Hampshire searchers say."