RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Rapid City mother says she's grateful for the thousands of dollars in donations that helped bring home the remains of her daughter after she died hiking in Peru.

The Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/2njzv98 ) reports 24-year-old Whitney Stevens was hiking March 1 when she fell 100 feet into a river after the ground beneath her caved. Stevens' body was recovered the same day by a rescue team and cremated in Peru.

Her remains were sent to Rapid City on March 15 after over $12,000 was raised through a GoFundMe campaign to cover transporting costs.

Local villagers in a Peru town held a service and three blessings for Stevens' body before her ashes were sent home. A funeral service was held March 17 in Sturgis.

Stevens was a veteran who served in Iraq and Kuwait in 2011 and 2012.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com