Man who wandered away from Mt. Washington summit found dead after long search

A 79-year-old visitor who wandered away from the summit of Mount Washington on Wednesday was found dead Friday after almost two days of searching.

William Davis of Jacksonville, Florida, had taken the Cog Railway to the summit of Mt. Washington with his wife midday Wednesday.

“He was last seen in the area of the observation deck around 3:20 p.m. Wednesday. From there no one knows where he went,” Fish and Game said in a statement. Davis had stopped answering his phone.

Official reported noon Friday that his body had been found. No further information was available.

A two-day search was conducted with a drone team and over 24 rescue personnel who looked on and off trails. Fog rolled in and the search was called off around 2 a.m. Thursday and restarted at 6 a.m.

The weather at the summit of New Hampshire’s highest peak on Friday was cold and windy, with temperatures in the high 30s, wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour and a below-freezing wind chill.