Cause of Death Revealed for 1 of 2 Hikers Found Dead on Katahdin

The Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says that 28-year-old Esther Keiderling of Ulster Park, NY — one of the hikers found dead near the summit of Katahdin earlier this month — died from “blunt force injuries.”

Baxter State Park officials said on Thursday that Keiderling likely slid downhill until she collided with boulders. Her body was discovered on June 4 after an extensive search, one day after the body of her father — Tim Keiderling, 58, also of Ulster Park — was discovered less than a thousand feet away. They were last seen alive at 10:15 a.m. on May 31 in the Tablelands, the same area where their bodies were ultimately discovered. 

The pair had set out to day hike to the summit of Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, on May 31. Family members alerted authorities when the hikers never returned, triggering an extensive search. 

Esther Keiderling had posted on Substack one day before the hike that she was nervous about the notorious difficulty of the trail but would proceed with the hike if the weather conditions would allow it.

Despite being described as experienced hikers with appropriate gear, the Keiderlings faced challenging and dangerous conditions on Katahdin on the day of their hike. These reportedly included heavy winds, rain, snow, and freezing wind chill temperatures. The cause of death for Tim Keiderling is still pending further study, which authorities say could take up to a week.

“On behalf of my mother Annemarie and our whole family we are extremely grateful for the professional and immediate response of the search teams and the investigation that followed,” Tim’s son Timothy Keiderling said in a statement. “Their expertise and their care for my father and Esther were evident both during the search and in their comprehensive review over the last days that also helps give us a degree of closure.”

Featured image: Tim and Esther Keiderling pictured in a photo released by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.