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Hiker Hannah Moody's body was found near an AZ preserve. What to know about how she died
Avid hiker and Scottsdale resident Hannah Moody was found lifeless in May near the Sonoran Mountain Preserve. Authorities have now disclosed her cause of death.
The 31-year-old social media content creator regularly chronicled her hiking and other experiences on her Instagram and TikTok accounts with "warmth and light," said Hannah Moody's brother, Joel Moody.
A native of Northern California, Hannah Moody relocated to Scottsdale some eight months prior to her death. She previously lived in Arizona, according to her mother, Terry Moody. She was residing in Charleston, South Carolina but missed hiking the Grand Canyon State, Hannah Moody's mother said.
Here is everything known about how Hannah Moody lived and died.
According to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office, Hannah Moody's primary cause of death was heat exposure. Her manner of death was ruled an accident.
Around 12:05 p.m. May 22, Hannah Moody's body was found approximately 600 yards — just over a third of a mile — off-trail from a parking lot at the Sonoran Mountain Preserve.
Friends reported Hannah Moody missing at 7:50 p.m. May 21 after they did not hear from her, according to Scottsdale police. Officers found her parked vehicle after checking the trailhead where she was last seen, police detailed.
An on-foot and drone search began that evening and went on for five hours, police said. A search was resumed the next day before her remains were recovered, police explained.
The National Weather Service reported that on the last day Hannah Moody was seen hiking, temperatures reached 102 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Joel Moody said that Hannah Moody was a loving aunt to his and their brother Ethan Moody's children.
Her friend Megan Pasquel said Hannah Moody had a natural ability to draw people in.
She was "always being very kind to anyone she met," Pasquel said.
A Christian who openly shared her faith, Hannah Moody, her mother said, was an "online missionary for Jesus."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cause of death of Scottsdale hiker Hannah Moody has been revealed
