Woman, 31, from California reported missing found dead in Arizona

The body of a 31-year-old woman from California was discovered near a hiking trail in Scottsdale, Arizona late last month, officials announced.  

Hannah Moody, described as a social media influencer by the Los Angeles Times, was first reported missing on May 21 just before 8 p.m. after said they had not heard from her and had been unable to reach her after she set off on a hike that day.  

In a news release, authorities with the Scottsdale Police Department responded to the trailhead where the 31-year-old had last been seen and found her vehicle still in the parking lot.  

“Officers began search efforts on foot, with drones and assistance from a Phoenix Police Department helicopter,” the release stated. “Search efforts continued for Hannah for approximately four and a half hours until around 11:30 p.m., when the search was called off for the evening.”  

More than 20 officers on bikes, on foot, with drones and with help from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department search and rescue and air unit picked up the search the following morning, officials said.  

The sheriff’s air unit spotted Moody’s body about 600 feet from the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale at around 12 p.m. 

On her Instagram account, where she had amassed more than 45,000 followers, Moody’s posts focused on what appeared to a passion for hiking, fitness and her Christian beliefs.  

In reporting by The Times, the 31-year-old had lived in Los Angeles, Orange and Alameda counties, as well as in South Carolina.  

“Scottsdale detectives and crime scene personnel will now conduct a thorough investigation to piece together what happened to Hannah and how she died,” officials said in the release. “Our investigation will be in cooperation with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, which will ultimately determine the cause of death.” 

Temperatures in the area where her body was found, including on the day she was discovered, routinely exceed 100 degrees by noon.  

Investigators said that while the death investigation is in its early stages, Moody’s body showed no signs of trauma or foul play.