The family of hiking influencer Hannah Moody is seeking answers after her body was found hundreds of yards from a popular Arizona hiking trail.
“It’s like a mystery to us right now,” Hannah’s mother, Terri Moody, told Arizona’s Family on Wednesday, May 28. “We’re trying to piece it all together.”
Hannah’s body was found near the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale on Thursday, May 22. She was 31 years old.
“We’re all assuming it was heat-related,” Terri said. “But that’s inconclusive. There were no signs of foul play.”
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She added, “We don’t know of any conditions that she had or anything like that that would have caused anything.”
It was 102 degrees when Hannah set off on a solo hike on May 21.
She was reported missing by friends at 7:50 p.m. after she failed to show up to a group gathering.
In addition to amassing nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram as a hiking influencer, Terri said her daughter was an avid bodybuilder and fitness instructor. Despite that, Terri said her daughter’s tragic story should be a cautionary tale.
“I feel like the best thing people can do is bring a friend,” Terri said of going on hikes. “I know that’s hard because people like to be in their solitude. But that would be my advice.”
In the wake of her daughter’s death, Terri admitted she’s still struggling to adjust to her new reality.
“I see something and I think, ‘Oh, I should show Hannah that,’” Terri said. “We went out to eat last night and the restaurant we went to was really cute and I said, ‘Oh, Hannah would love this. I’ll have to see if she’s ever gone here.’”
The Scottsdale Police Department confirmed Hannah’s body had been found in a press release on May 22.
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“The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Air Unit located Hannah’s body around 12:05 p.m., about 600 yards off-trail,” the release said “Scottsdale detectives and crime scene personnel will now conduct a thorough investigation to piece together what happened to Hannah and how she died. Our investigation will be in cooperation with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, which will ultimately determine the cause of death.”
The release concluded, “The investigation is in its early stages, but there are no obvious signs of foul play or trauma at this point.”
Days before she died, Hannah posted a video via Instagram explaining she had been given the day shift at her restaurant job, which meant she’d be hiking at night.
“I just realized God is literally blessing me with the day shift because he knows how much I freaking love the sunset and I love being able to go for sunset hikes,” Moody said in the May 18 video. “I haven’t really been able to do that and it’s just so sweet and so thoughtful.”
