01-06-2025
Friends, family attend sunrise hike to honor Hannah Moody
The Brief
The community is mourning the loss of Hannah Moody, who was found dead near the Gateway trailhead over a week ago.
Moody would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on May 31.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Community members gathered to mourn the loss of Hannah Moody, who was found dead near Gateway Trailhead over a week ago.
At the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, people started gathering as early as 5:00 a.m. You can see it was a beautiful morning out here, but definitely a very sad one on what would have been her 32nd birthday.
Now, Scottsdale police say the local woman set out on a hike, and she never made it back to her car on May 22.
Family, friends and loved ones honored her life in what they call a sunrise celebration meet-up.
Dozens of people attended the event on May 31, and we talked to them about what it means to memorialize their friend, what it was like spending that much time missing her, and how they're remembering her now on what would have been her 32nd birthday.
What they're saying
"I think it's kind of surreal. I don't think it's like hit me until those moments of, like, hey, we're going out doing our Thursday brunch, or like, it really hit me on this hike, because this was something we did together," said Jessica Giannina, Hannah's roommate. "So it's like moments like that is when the, you know, waves of emotion come about. But, you know, I know that she's in a better place now, and that she's at peace. And she was doing literally what she absolutely loved to do. And yeah, I would kind of almost not rather her go out another way than hiking, so yeah."
Hannah's friends say she was an experienced hiker. The last video of her includes a caption saying that she had five gallons of water with her. Search crews found her body 600 yards off trail from the parking lot.
What's next
Scottsdale police say there were no signs of foul play or trauma, and Hannah Moody's death. We are still waiting for the medical examiner to release more information about a cause of death.
Dig deeper
Hannah is the second hiker in Arizona who died in May. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said no foul play is suspected in 33-year-old Noah Farabaugh's death.
On May 11, Farabaugh was with a group, who reported him having a medical episode on the Wave Cave Trail.
"SFMD, along with assistance from Mesa FD responded to a 1st alarm Mountain rescue with reports of five patients needing rescue, due to heat issues," SFMD said. "One patient became unresponsive and CPR was initiated by civilians before SFMD arrived on scene. Multiple rounds of CPR were initiated, and unfortunately the patient did not survive."
