(Cupventi.com) – A tragic incident has occurred involving a 20-year-old student from North Carolina who was found dead following a hike on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Brook Cheuvront, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had gone missing during a hike, and her body was recovered on Sunday.
Cheuvront had last been heard from on Saturday, when her friends lost contact with her after the tracking app she was using stopped updating, according to SANParks spokesman JP Louw, who spoke with The Associated Press.
Brook’s father, Steve Cheuvront, expressed his heartbreak in a Facebook post: “She was recovered, we are devastated. God help me and us.” Brook had been in Cape Town as part of an internship at the University of Cape Town. She was also a prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar and the 2022 valedictorian of Avery County High School, where her mother is a teacher, according to a report by WNCN.
The high school community was shaken by the news. Principal Jennifer O’Briant announced on Facebook that counselors and pastors would be available to support students and staff, adding, “If students feel led to, please wear blue in support of the Cheuvront family.”
The search for Brook involved a coordinated effort by rangers, wilderness search and rescue teams, and local trail runners. The initial search continued late into Saturday evening but was paused due to nightfall. The next morning, an aircraft was deployed, which helped locate her body, according to Louw.
The cause of Brook’s death has not yet been determined, and an investigation is underway. South African authorities have taken this opportunity to remind hikers to avoid hiking alone and to always go in groups, recommending at least four people for safety. Table Mountain, managed by SANParks, remains a popular but occasionally perilous destination, and officials are continuing their investigation into what led to this tragic loss.