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WEBVTT STARTED THAT PROCESS. >> EVERY DAY GETS HARDER. YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT HER. YOU SEE THE FAMILY. YOU SEE HOW HEARTBROKEN THE FAMILY IS. DAN: CHELESI WHITE, AN EMOTIONAL VOLUNTEER, WHO DEDICATED THE LAST 7 DAYS TO FINDING A MISSING WOMAN SHE NEVER KNEW. IT WAS LAST TUESDAY WHEN 53-YEAR-OLD SUSAN CLEMENTS FROM CLEVES VANISHED ON THE FORNEY RIDGE TRAIL ABOUT A QUARTER-MILE FROM ANDREWS BALD. PARK OFFICIALS SAY SHE WAS HIKING WITH HER DAUGHTER, WHEN THEY SPLIT UP SO HER DAUGHTER COULD GO FARTHER. THE MOTHER OF THREE WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET HER DAUGHTER AT THE PARKING LOT. SHE NEVER DID. DENSE FOG AND HEAVY RAIN DIDN’T HELP ANYONE FIND HER. THOSE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS WITH A LOT OF RAIN, UNFORTUNATELY, PREVENTED US FROM FINDING MANY TRACKS, IMPEDED THE DOGS AND BEING ABOUT TO PICK UP A SCENT AND SO HAVING THAT RAIN RIGHT AFTER SOMEONE WENT MISSING ADDED CERTAINLY A LAYER OF DIFFICULTY. DAN: IT WAS A MASSIVE RESPONSE ON THE TENNESSEE-NORTH CAROLINA STATE LINE. MORE THAN 100 SEARCH CREWS COVERED 500 MILES OF TRAILS, AND 10 SQUARE MILES OF WOODED AREAS FROM THE GROUND AND THE AIR. THIS SHERIFF’S DEPUTY BROUGHT HER K9 TO TRACK ANY CLUES. >> YOU CAN’T ALWAYS FIND PEOPLE ALIVE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON HOW LATE IT IS YOU GET CALLED OR WHAT THEY’RE DOING OR WHAT’S GOING ON, YOU KNOW, SO WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO STILL BE ABLE TO FIND THE PERSON SO THE FAMIL CAN STILL HAVE CLOSURE. DAN: TODAY, CREWS FOUND CLEMENTS DEAD, TWO MILES WEST OF THE PARKING LOT AND 3-QUARTERS OF A MILE SOUTH OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL. IT’S A PAINFUL DISCOVERY, BUT ONE THEY HOPE WILL LEAD TO HEALING. ANYONE WHO STARTS THIS, YOU KIND OF, LIKE I SAID, THEY BECOME YOUR FAMILY AND YOU DON’T WANT TO STOP SEARCHING UNTIL YOU FIND HER. DA OLD THIS IS STILL HAPPENING MINUTE BY MINUTE. THEY ARE NOT READY TO TALK BUT WANT TO SHARE THEIR SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR THE INCREDIBLE SEARCH TEAM. A SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK SAYS NO CAUSE OF DEATH HAS BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS POI

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A Cincinnati woman who disappeared while hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was found dead Tuesday afternoon, according to the park's public affairs office.They said Mitzie Sue "Susan" Clements, 53, was found by search crews two miles west of the Clingmans Dome parking area, where it was said she disappeared, and less than a mile south of the Appalachian Trail. She had been missing for a week.Clements' body was found off-trail late Tuesday afternoon, in a rugged, heavily wooded area of the Huggins Creek drainage, approximately two miles from Clingmans Dome parking area and three-fourths mile south of the Appalachian Trail. The cause of death is under investigation, however foul play is not suspected at this time. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and co-workers of Susan during this difficult time,” said park superintendent Cassius Cash. “We are grieving with the family and hope that yesterday’s recovery helps provide some closure as they begin their own grieving process. I am inspired by, and extremely grateful for, the tireless work of our park staff, as well as the generous assistance provided by dozens of agencies and well-trained search and rescue organizations.” The family of Susan Clements provided this statement to share with the public: “I want to specifically thank the National Park Service for their incredible efforts. The cooperation shown between more than 50 agencies was amazing, comforting, and very supportive. Every piece of the operation, including the scientific fronts, logistical parts, and the emotional support provided to us was very impressive. The children, her sisters, and I want to especially thank Jared St. Clair (Chief Ranger), Joe Pond (Incident Commander), James Latendresse (Operations Chief), and Florie Takaki (Family Liaison) for their dedication and support. We also want to thank the countless other people who helped look for Susan. This includes the ground searchers, pilots, drone operators, dog trackers, technicians, EMS providers, the many teams of tactical climbers and rescuers, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The kids, her sisters, and I greatly appreciate the intense work they performed for us, and we will be eternally grateful.”An estimated 175 personnel assisted in the complex search operation of some of the most rugged terrain found in the park."Our hearts are with the family and friends of Ms. Clements. The park would like to extend our appreciation to the many agencies and organizations that participated in the search effort," park officials said in a news release.Clements was hiking with her daughter on the Forney Ridge Trail, near Andrews Bald, when the two separated, officials said.The case was considered unusual because most searches are resolved in a day, national park officials said.Trained searchers and logistical support teams work in shifts to cover the rugged terrain, officials said.More than 30 state and local agencies are assisting the national park in this search.Clingmans Dome Road remains closed to allow staff time to remove the infrastructure brought in to help manage and support the search operation. The road and Clingmans Dome parking area are expected to reopen by Thursday morning.Search crews WLWT talked with were emotional and determined. They said they wanted to bring closure to Clements' family."Every day gets harder. You learn more about her. You see the family. You see how heartbroken the family is," Chelesi White said.Dense fog and heavy rain didn't help the search."Those first couple of days with a lot of rain, unfortunately, prevented us from finding many tracks, impeded the dogs and being about to pick up a scent and so having that rain right after someone went missing added certainly a layer of difficulty," said Julena Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld said Clements worked for the Metropolitan Sewer District.He said the city manager is staying in touch with Clements' family.Her family did not want to speak with WLWT in an interview but said she is a great mother to three children.They did provided a link for a GoFundMe to help pay for her funeral.