BODY FOUND ON MOUNT WASHINGTON IDENTIFIED AS THAT OF LOST CANADIAN HIKER
CONCORD, N.H. -- A body recovered on Mount Washington on the evening of July 6, 2009, has been identified as that of Peter Shintani, age 70, of Napanee, Ontario, according to Sgt. Wayne Saunders of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.*
Hikers had reported finding a body off the Lion's Head Trail on Mount Washington, the highest peak in New Hampshire's White Mountains, late Monday afternoon.*Personnel from the Mount Washington State Park hiked to the area and confirmed the location of the body, approximately three-quarters of a mile from the top of the mountain.*It was a few hundred feet from the trail, hidden from view from the trail or from the air by rocky ledges.*Conservation Officers from the N.H. Fish and Game Department, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team and personnel from the Mount Washington State Park hiked to the location, along with a Medical Examiner and State Police Troop F Detective Sgt. Michael Marshall, who began an investigation at the scene. The body was transported to the summit of Mount Washington and taken down the mountain via the auto road. State Police then sent the body to the State Medical Examiners Office in Concord, N.H., for an autopsy and positive
identification.
Shintani had been missing for more than a week before his absence was reported on June 16, 2009.*An extensive ground and air search of the Mount Washington area was launched, but failed to locate any sign of him. In all, more than 70 rescuers and a N.H. Army National Guard helicopter combed the rugged mountain area during the three-day search, which was finally called off on June 18, 2009.*Following the search, N.H. Fish and Game continued to seek information from the hiking community about possible sightings or other clues.*Shintani's sister in Ontario has been notified of the positive identification.