Skeletal remains discovered in Maine this week are believed to be those of an Appalachian Trail hiker from Tennessee who has been missing since July 2013, the warden service says.

Geraldine Largay, 66 and of Brentwood, was last seen leaving Redington Township for an eight-mile hike to Mount Abram Township. She was supposed to meet her husband the next day but never showed.

Investigators said on Friday they did not think foul play was involved in her death.

The Maine Warden Service said the remains were found on Wednesday more than 3,000ft from the trail by a contractor conducting a forestry survey on property owned by the US navy in Redington. Several pieces of clothing and belongings consistent with items owned by Largay were found.

A reward of $25,000 had been offered for anyone with information that led to Largay. The 66-year-old, an experienced hiker, started her hike in April 2013 at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, with a destination of Baxter state park in Maine.



Her husband, George, had been keeping track of her progress and was following by car, making predetermined stops to replenish her supplies. He said she was well-prepared for the arduous hike and it had been on her bucket list. She had read books about it and planned meticulously.

The warden service said Largay contacted her husband on 21 July from the top of Saddleback Mountain but failed to meet up with him the following day as planned.

About 130 people, some with dogs, horses and ATVs, searched for Largay. Authorities focused on a rugged 14-mile section of the trail in the Carrabassett Valley region of western Maine, with thick brush, side paths and steep drops.