The preserved body of an American mountaineer who was lost in an avalanche 22 years ago has been found in the Andes, Peruvian police said.
William Stampfl, of Chino, Calif., was 58 when he and two climbing partners — Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine — were buried in an avalanche while ascending Huascaran mountain, one of the highest peaks in the Andes, in June 2002. While Erskine’s body was found soon afterward, Richardson’s body has not been.
Police identified Stampfl partly because his attire, including his harness and boots, had been preserved by the cold. His passport and driver’s license, also found with his body, helped I.D. him as well.
The remains were discovered near a camp 17,060 feet above sea level on the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes, police confirmed to The Associated Press.
The trio had met climbing Mt. Baldy in southern California, the Los Angeles Times reported back in 2002. They then globetrotted to summit mountains including Denali, Kilimanjaro, Shasta and Rainier.
Melting ice is exposing remains of missing mountaineers and hikers all over the world, with an escalating number just in the past few years, according to CBS News.
With News Wire Services
