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Update, 6/26/25: A father who died along with his daughter on Maine’s Mount Katahdin earlier this month passed away from complications of hypothermia, Maine’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said.
Officials shared Tim Keiderling’s cause of death with Maine’s WMTW 8 following an autopsy. The news comes a week and a half after the office told media that Esther Keiderling died of blunt force trauma, likely after sliding downhill into a boulder field.
Update, 6/14/25: One of the hikers who passed away on Katahdin earlier this month likely died from blunt force trauma after slipping and falling down the mountainside into a boulder field, authorities say.
Maine’s Chief Office of the Medical Examiner released Esther Keiderling’s cause of death after performing an autopsy. In a statement viewed by Maine’s Bangor Daily News, Baxter State Park said that based on where rescuers found Keiderling, they believe that she lost her footing and fell after wandering off the Saddle Trail during her descent.
“It appears that Esther continued downhill off trail and attempted to traverse the boulder area, which was steep and snow-covered, and slid downhill until she collided with large boulders,” park officials said. “Based on the temperatures and other weather conditions on June 1, the snow field was likely extremely icy and almost impossible to navigate without traction foot gear such as crampons or microspikes.”
Authorities are still investigating the cause of death of Esther Keiderling’s father, Tim, whose body rescuers located less than 1,000 feet away from her.
Update, 6/4/25: Baxter State Park has confirmed that search crews found Esther Keiderling deceased on Wednesday. In a Factbook post, park officials said that personnel found Keiderling’s body in a forested zone on Katahdin’s Tableland at 1 p.m.
“We understand that many of our social media followers share in our profound sadness for the family and friends of Tim and Esther Keiderling,” the park wrote. “We appreciate your support for their loved ones and the members of the search teams during this incredibly difficult time.”
According to Baxter, some 46 park rangers and state game wardens participated in the search for the Keiderlings, as well as 4 K9 teams and 5 helicopters from the state forest service and National Guard.
Original post: Rescue personnel are searching for a missing 28-year-old hiker on Mount Katahdin after finding her father deceased on the iconic peak Tuesday, two days after the pair set out to climb it.
On Sunday, 58-year-old Tim Keiderling and his daughter, Esther, set off from Abol Campground to hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin. The last sighting of the duo took place at about 10:15 am. On Monday morning, Baxter State Park officials began searching for the pair after realizing that their vehicle had parked in a day-use lot overnight.
They quickly arranged a search party to scour the Abol Trail, the Hunt Trail, and the Katahdin Tablelands but saw no sign of the Keiderlings.
Authorities expanded the search this morning, adding 30 game wardens to the operation including members of the Maine Warden Service Search and Rescue Team and the Maine Warden Service K9 team. The Maine Forest Service sent three helicopters to scour the mountain, while Maine National Guard joined the search with a Blackhawk and a Lakota helicopter, the latter equipped with infrared imaging.
This afternoon, Baxter State Park officials announced on Facebook that a K9 team had located the body of Tim Keiderling on the Tableland, near the summit of Katahdin at approximately 2:45 p.m. Efforts to locate Esther Keiderling are still in effect.
Mountain weather on Katahdin is known to be mercurial. Conditions over the weekend were predominantly in the 50s, with sporadic rain and wind. The summit maintained similar conditions through Monday and this morning.
Baxter State Park is asking anyone who may have information on the Keiderlings’ disappearance or Esther’s location to contact Houlton State Police at 207-532-5400. Katahdin’s trails are closed until further notice.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
From 2025