Female Hunter found Dead on Trail

[Newb]

I found this story a little confusing...I think she was hunting "near" the trail and died on it...It needs deciphering.

http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/...290.xml&coll=2

Pair hunting near state game lands. Husband found woman's body, which was cold to the touch.

Wednesday, November 29, 206 By MICHELLE PITTMAN

The Express-Times
ELDRED TWP. | Several agencies in Northampton and Monroe counties worked together Tuesday to investigate the death of a woman on the Appalachian Trail near state game lands.
The woman was found in Monroe County, just over the border of Moore Township in Northampton County.
Carol Applegate, 57, was hunting with her husband Tuesday morning when the pair separated, according to Monroe County Coroner Dave Thomas. When her husband returned to meet up with Applegate, he found her in the same position where he had left her. He reported that her lips were blue and her body was cold to the touch.
Northampton County 911 first received a call about the woman at 2:44 p.m. Officers were still in the area after 8 p.m.
"It took some time to get out there, because they were about 3 miles off the beaten path," Thomas said. "We had to use all-terrain vehicles to get out to where they were."
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning.
"There's no reason to believe there was foul play involved," Thomas said. "There are no signs of trauma."
Thomas was uncertain where Applegate was from but said it was either Northampton or Lehigh county.
Pennsylvania State Police at Lehighton sent a crime scene recovery unit to the area at 4:30 p.m. With sunlight fading, officers requested flashlights and fire gear to continue their work.
A Moore Township police officer suffered an ankle injury while responding.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

It sounds like they hiked out the AT 3 miles, separated to go into the game hunting area and were to meet back at the point where they started. The lady was likely directly on the AT. Sounds like she died of natural causes and the police drove ATV's to the location.

[Frosty]

"It took some time to get out there, because they were about 3 miles off the beaten path," Thomas said. "We had to use all-terrain vehicles to get out to where they were."

A Moore Township police officer suffered an ankle injury while responding.

While dismounting his ATV?

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

In defense of the police using ATV's to get to the location - they had to take all the supplies / equipment to investigate a possible homocide... and that's a lot of stuff.

[Just Jeff]

Yeah - but on CSI they get to use a Hummer so they don't twist any ankles.

[RockyTrail]

What a sad story, but not really confusing. To find your spouse like that, with nothing you could have done...

Assuming they were deer hunting- the best hunting is usually around dawn or dusk (when the deer are most active). Deer like it quiet and calm so they can hear and smell predators, and midday winds will keep them bedded down in the thickets for protection. Near dawn and dusk things are quiet, and the deer are more comfortable to move around.

The couple probably went on an early morning hunt and were meeting back up to eat lunch or to go home when hunting opportunities slow down... After the inital shock, it would take an hour or more to hike out, so the call coming in at 2:44pm would be about right by the time he got to a phone.

That's the best I can decipher it...what a sad story.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

What a sad story, but not really confusing. To find your spouse like that, with nothing you could have done...

Amen - the lady was only 45 per her obit and loved the outdoors and hunting.

[RockyTrail]

Not that it matters, but the article said she was 57

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I know, I saw that... but I went to the newspaper today and today's story and her obit both say she was 45. My guess is the husband wasn't able to give the police and press clear info at the scene as he was overcome by grief and in shock.

[K-Man]

What the heck could she have died from? Heart attack? Man, what a sad story...

[Booley]

I'm wondering if she had any heart/circulatory problems associated with the weather. If it was cold in the morning (It's been in the 50s during sunrise here in WV the last two days), some people's bodies trigger a heart attack with physical exertion, e.g. shoveling snow. But due the time frame, it's been warm here in the East. I could think of worse ways to go than just sitting down in the woods. RIP!

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Her obit described her as an avid outsdoorsman so I doubt she had a known heart condition - it could have been a stroke, aneurysm, seizure or just a sudden cardiac problem. I hope for the family's sake that the autopsy provides some answers.

[iamscottym]

Dino-

Not that it matters, but just because someone has a heart condition doesn't mean they can't be an avid outdoorsman. My dad has had 3 heart attacks and is now down to 20% of his heart capacity, yet still hikes regularly. We did two weeks on the SNP this past fall. Granted, he has a pacemaker and carries nitroglycerin, and hikes a little slower than before, but he's still out there.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

excellent point, scotty