Marites Buenafe, Kentucky doctor goes missing during solo hike in Alaska after cruise passenger fails to return for scheduled departure in Juneau hours later. Search for missing physician ramps up two days after disappearing…
Where is she? Is she safe? Alaska authorities are seeking the whereabouts of a 62 year old cruise passenger who went on a solo hike while the ship was docked earlier this week only to never return for the boat’s scheduled departure hours later.
Marites Buenafe of Kentucky told her family around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday that she was getting off the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship and planning to take the Mount Roberts Tramway up the mountain where she intended to go hiking along the Gastineau Peak ‘alone’ according to a release from the Juneau Police Department.
Cruise Passenger Disappears While Hiking Alone in Alaska
Buenafe, 62, a physician at UK HealthCare in Lexington, KY., failed to return to the docked ship in Juneau for the cruise’s 1.30 p.m scheduled departure.
Captured surveillance footage showed the missing passenger making her away along the top of the Mount Roberts Tramway on Tuesday morning prior to her descending along mountain tramways, WLWT reported.
Multiple agencies have been searching for the missing woman ever since.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen volunteers from Juneau Mountain Rescue worked with police officers and state troopers for an extensive search of the area, ‘using drones, K-9s and ground teams, with no signs of Marites,’ the Alaska Department of Public Safety reported.
In a Thursday update, department said ground and aerial teams would resume the search.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Bliss released a statement to People, saying, in part, ‘An active search is ongoing, and we are providing assistance to local authorities as appropriate. Our CARE team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.’
Buenafe is described to be 5’0″ with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts should reach out to the Alaska State Troopers at 907-465-4000 and reference incident AK25063914.
