U.S. Missing doctor who left cruise ship in Alaska to take a hike found dead

CBS ^ | July 4, 2025 | Kenny Breen

[xxqqzz]

Alaskan authorities say they've found the body of a 62-year-old woman who disembarked from a cruise ship to take a hike and didn't return.

Marites Buenafe — who's listed on the University of Kentucky Healthcare system's website as a doctor — was traveling aboard the Norwegian Bliss, according to a missing persons bulletin issued by the Alaska State Troopers. The ship was on a weeklong round-trip tour of Alaska that departed from Seattle, according to ship tracking site CruiseMapper.

Around 7:30 a.m. local time on July 1, Buenafe texted family members that she was heading up Mount Roberts Tramway in Juneau and would hike from Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak, the bulletin said. Security footage showed Buenafe at the top of the tramway around that same time. Hiking website AllTrails describes the hike as a challenging but popular 4.1 mile trek that usually takes about three hours to complete.

On July 2, the search continued. The efforts included over a dozen professional volunteers, Juneau police officers, Alaska state troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue. Searchers used drones, ground teams and K-9 assets, but found no sign of Buenafe. Weather conditions meant only limited helicopter searches could be conducted later in the day.

... Department of Public Safety spokesperson Austin McDaniel told CBS affiliate KYES-TV that people traveling in backcountry or going on long hikes should inform someone where they are going, when they plan to return and what they are wearing. They should also consider bringing an additional communication device in case there is no cell service.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Coronary? Stroke? A four mile hike isn't particularly grueling.

[PGR88]

[BobL]

“Coronary? Stroke? A four mile hike isn’t particularly grueling.”

I don’t know the trail, but the mounts shoot straight up out of Juneau...so it could be a bit rugged. Also, if the 4-mile trail takes 3 hours, that too says something.

[pierrem15]

Just a trip and a fall are sufficient. Which is why you shouldn’t backcountry hike alone.

[nwrep]

Foreigners typically underestimate the vastness and danger of American wilderness.

[Kudsman]

Exactly why good guides and scouts have been invaluable since the start of time.

[outofsalt]

Bitten by a møøse?

[logi_cal869]

Of interest

https://perfectlittleplanet.com/mt-roberts-gastineau-and-gold-ridge-trail-guide/

[Gasshog]

Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew located Buenafe’s body approximately 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge,

Sounds to me like a fatal fall. Still this story is not clear what killed the Doc.

[Gasshog]

Who will post, My sister was bitten by a MooSE

[bluemooncat]

I understand she’s a doctor from Kentucky. The cruise has the word “ Norwegian” in the name.

[Hieronymus]

Yes, but this is more the case of easterners underestimating the west—perhaps compounded by urban underestimating rural. Likely not a Hill Billy.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Good guesses. She was probably an experience hiker to set out on that hike solo.

[enraged]

Lived in Juneau for 6 years. Yeah grueling hike. Straight up the mountain. Worked for a company that was reopening the mine under this mountain. Flew in and out of that area many times on a helicopter. Bears are pretty thick there too. Take the tram to the top and there is a nice easy trail up there. Sorry for the lady. Doesn’t take but a few miles and you are on your own in the middle of nowhere.

[Sirius Lee]

Check out Dave Paulidas’ “Missing 411”. Folks die or go missing in the blink of an eye.

[NeverTyranny]

NEVER HIKE ALONE. Especially a woman. Or, make sure someone knows t your route, that you have check-in points and what your estimated return time will be.

[verum ago]

Coronary? Stroke? A four mile hike isn't particularly grueling.

It's a ~2200 ft elevation gain at the halfway point, and probably in miserable weather (a temperature rainforest).

I still agree with your guess of a coronary or a stroke, but wouldn't be surprised if it was someone out of shape and pushing too hard.

SE AK is steep. One of the most popular trails where I live has rescues every year because people look at a map and go "hey, the peak is only about a mile from tidewater" when it actually involves a 3000+ ft climb, and in our climate, that puts you into an alpine area that retains snow year round, and is subject to the full force of storms coming off the open ocean year round as well.

Hiking 4-6 miles inland from Juneau takes you from this:



to this:



And no, she didn't end up in the icefield (her hike was largely parallel to the shoreline, but still gaining significantly in elevation), but what people seem to fail to appreciate is that as you hike up out of Juneau, the weather must necessarily also shift between what you see in the two pics. In my personal experience, being at 3000+ ft in SE AK pretty much needs to be treated as being at 9000+ ft in Idaho, Colorado, California, etc, in terms of how quickly the weather can turn and how nasty it can get. On the one hand, the absolute elevation is lower, so you don't really get altitude/hypoxia effects, but on the other hand, the potential for precipitation is vastly higher because it is after all a rainforest.

[NeverTyranny]

That is so good! I wish he would do more of those documentaries.

[NeverTyranny]

I agree. I’ve seen it before.