American Woman, 20, Reportedly Found Dead on South Africa’s Table Mountain: 'We Are Devastated'

Mar. 15, 2025

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.Photo:Getty

Getty

An American student has reportedly been found dead on South Africa’s iconic Table Mountain after going missing during a hike.

SANParks, who manage South Africa’s National Parks, confirmed a female hiker had been found dead and her body had been recovered in apress releaseshared on Monday, Sept 23. A spokesperson for SANParks confirmed to PEOPLE in an email that the woman was named Brook Cheuvront.

She was reported missing on Saturday, Sept. 21 after leaving her accommodation at around 12:00 p.m. local time to go up the mountain. “Her friends did not hear from her since she left, and the tracking app never updated since she left her residence,” the release read in part.

According to theAssociated Press,CBS Newsand local media outletsNews24andTimesLIVE, Cheuvront was a 20-year-old student from the University of North Carolina.

Her body was found after the City of Cape Town’s piloted aircraft joined the search, which began on Sept. 21, and located her on the slopes of the mountain.

Table Mountain.Getty

“An autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death,” he added.

According toCBS affiliate WNCN, Cheuvront  — a Morehead-Cain scholar at UNC — was in Cape Town doing an internship at the city’s university.

“Please take down all posts looking for Brook. She was recovered. We are devastated,” he wrote.In a previous post shared on Sept. 22, Steve shared his hopes that his daughter would be found.

“Please please. Let her be found. It will be daylight there in 90 min. Search and rescue. The US Ambassador is aware. All resources will be sent. I may be flying over tomorrow,” he added.

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Per WNCN, Brook was a track runner and the 2022 valedictorian at Avery County High School in North Carolina.

In a post shared onFacebookon Sept. 22, the school wrote, “One of our teachers tragically lost a loved one today. Out of respect for the family, the sporting events for tomorrow have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. The UNC Charlotte college tour for tomorrow is cancelled.”

“We will have counselors and pastors present tomorrow at school for students who may need support,” the post continued. “If students feel led to, please wear blue in support of the Cheuvront family.”

An individual named April Cheuvront is listed as a science teacher on the school’sstaff directoryon its website.

“The circumstances around the hiker’s death are still being investigated and further details about this incident will be provided as and when necessary,” the release from SANParks added.

“SANParks extends its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased during this difficult time. We also express our sincere gratitude to our stakeholders and staff involved in this operation.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department for additional information.

source: people.com