A 51‑year‑old woman named Sue Mi Ko from Craftsbury, Vermont, was reported overdue on January 9, 2025, after setting out for a hike in the area of the Mount Pisgah trailhead in Westmore — she had not returned as expected and was officially reported missing that Thursday evening.
The Vermont State Police were notified and immediately initiated a search. They reached out to anyone who had hiked in the region in the past week who might have seen her. Search teams combed the area over the following days, including hikes on both Saturday and Sunday, and at the time authorities stated there were no signs indicating the disappearance was suspicious.
Her case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System ensuring broader awareness and access to vital forensic and investigative resources.
Months later, during a routine training exercise on April 30, 2025, a search and rescue team discovered Sue Mi Ko’s body near Lake Willoughby, just a few hundred yards from the Mount Pisgah trailhead where she had been last seen. The remains were located by Radar, a black German Shepherd with North Country Search Dogs, who had been deployed multiple times earlier in the search; challenging terrain and substantial snowpack had hampered recovery efforts until that point.
Authorities emphasized there were no indications of suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
North Country Search Dogs expressed that they were honored to bring a measure of closure to Sue’s family, whose agonizing wait for answers had finally come to an end.
Throughout the investigations and search operations, the tone from both officials and community members remained one of empathy and perseverance. Families, search responders, and residents alike shared in the hope of her safe return—and though the outcome was tragic, the dedicated efforts of rescue teams and the involvement of expert search dogs ultimately provided the closure that was so painfully long awaited.
Last Seen: Jan 5, 2025
