60-year-old NC doctor who vanished along Appalachian Trail is found safe, officials say
UPDATE: Dr. Marta Renee Bowen, the missing hiker from North Carolina, was later found safe, Connecticut State Police wrote in a Facebook post at about 5:15 p.m. May 5.
The original story is below.
A 60-year-old medical doctor from North Carolina vanished along the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut, officials said.
Now, crews in the Northeastern state are using helicopters, ATVs and other tools to search for the woman, identified as Dr. Marta Renee Bowen.
Bowen — who lives in Durham, North Carolina — was last seen at a campsite in Kent, Connecticut. She was on a hiking trip with two other people when officials believe she “walked off from the campsite on her own,” leaving behind her hiking gear and cellphone, according to state police and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
Bowen’s friends said she may have gotten lost in a remote area, and foul play isn’t suspected in her disappearance, Sgt. Sam DeFelice with DEEP’s Environmental Conservation Police told Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
Bowen was last seen at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 3. Since then, crews have teamed up to search for her from the air and on the ground. Officials also reported posting missing person flyers along the Appalachian Trail and planned to use a dive team as part of their efforts to find her.
Connecticut State Police describe Bowen as being 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with brown eyes and gray hair.
“She was last seen wearing a maroon puffer style jacket and gray sweatpants,” officials wrote, adding that anyone who sees her is asked to call 911.
Bowen is a staff psychiatrist at Central Regional Hospital, a state-run psychiatric facility in Butner, North Carolina, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and N.C. Medical Board records.
In a response to McClatchy News’ request for information about Bowen’s disappearance, the health department in an email wrote that it “recently learned of this concerning news, and hope she is found and brought home safely.”
Bowen disappeared as she and her group planned to hike part of the Appalachian Trail, which spans more than 2,100 miles. It stretches along the mountains from Georgia to Maine, crossing through 14 states, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website.
Kent is roughly 85 miles northeast of New York City.
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 1:54 PM with the headline "60-year-old NC doctor who vanished along Appalachian Trail is found safe, officials say."
