Search Suspended for Missing Australian Tourist in Canadian Wilderness Park
Leyland Cecco
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have suspended the search for missing 62-year-old Australian tourist Denise Ann Williams in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, after six days without success. The extensive operation involved about 100 personnel, dogs, aircraft, and ground teams but found no trace of Williams, who disappeared in mid-April.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the suspension of a six-day aerial and ground search for missing Australian tourist Denise Ann Williams, 62, who vanished in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia.
According to the RCMP, approximately 100 personnel, including police dogs, aircraft, and ground teams, were deployed but yielded no new information on Williams's whereabouts. She lost contact in mid-April after entering the park, which spans over 360 square miles (about 932 square kilometers) and is one of Nova Scotia's largest protected wilderness areas.
Williams's rental car was found near the trailhead of Acadian Trail, an 8-kilometer loop offering hikers "panoramic views of the Acadian coastline, the Chéticamp River valley, and the park's interior highlands." The terrain is rugged, with steep cliffs, deep canyons, and extensive bogs. Trails can quickly lead into ravines and dense forests.
A sign on Acadian Trail warns visitors to "watch for black bears and moose." In 2009, folk singer Taylor Mitchell, 19, was attacked and killed by coyotes while hiking in the same park, despite calling police—the only confirmed fatal coyote attack on an adult in North America.
RCMP Corporal Mandy Edwards stated that Williams was hiking alone on an "adventure" vacation, and police had no leads after an "exhaustive air and ground search over extremely challenging terrain." Parks Canada and local search teams regularly encounter missing hikers, injuries, and disorientation due to weather, often thick fog rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean.
Chris Bellemore, head of a local search and rescue team, told CBC Nova Scotia: "We are in valleys, canyons, walking through dense forests and areas with many fallen trees. Sometimes you can't see your feet because of saplings and debris on the ground." Despite the difficulties, Bellemore said "our hearts go out to her family" and the team remains hopeful: "That's the motivation for us to take time off work, get out there, and try to find a positive outcome for all of this."
