PROVIDENCE — Barking dogs led investigators to the body of missing hiker Patti Pendleton Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Two days after the police indefinitely suspended the search for Pendleton, 59, of Coventry, environmental police found her body in a “heavily wooded” section of the Arcadia Management Area, said Rose Jones, the public affairs director for the R.I. Department of Environmental Management.

“This is a very tragic and unfortunate situation,” said Jones. “Our thoughts are with her family.”

Pendleton’s two dogs — a black toy poodle and a black fox terrier — were barking and led authorities to the area. Jones said she thought the dogs were in good condition after nearly a week in the woods.

Pendleton's body was found near Cat Swamp, west of Deep Pond close to the Connecticut border, Coventry police said in a statement late Sunday night.

The area is "extremely difficult to access" and responders needed chainsaws and brush clearing equipment to reach her, Coventry Police Chief John MacDonald said in the statement.

Though the medical examiner's office has yet to complete an autopsy Pendleton seems to have died from "apparent exposure to the elements," MacDonald said.

Pendleton was last heard from Monday morning when the police say she went for a hike in the Exeter park with her dogs. Her family reported her missing at 1 p.m. Tuesday when she didn’t show up for work.

During an extensive three-day search of the woods, police and volunteers found few clues — just her car, which was parked near a trailhead off Route 165, and a pair of prescription eyeglasses.

The search included crews from the state police, the DEM, the Coventry police and many volunteers. Dogs, boats, helicopters, ATVs, horses, and drones were used to scan more than 42,000 acres.

While the state police officially suspended their search at 5 p.m. Friday, Pendleton’s family plodded on. Her son, Mike Pendleton, continued to reach out on Facebook, looking for volunteers, a megaphone, radios, maps of hiking trails and coffee.

“I have not lost hope yet,” he posted Saturday night. “It has not been long enough or cold enough.”

Family members described Pendelton as an avid hiker who loved the outdoors and knew the area well.

The investigation is ongoing. Coventry police expect to release more details Monday.

— jtempera@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7121

On Twitter: @jacktemp