Body of missing US student found on Devil’s Peak

THE BODY of an American student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who had recently moved to South Africa has been found after she went missing in the Western Cape.

Brook Cecilia Cheuvront, 20, went hiking on Saturday at Devil’s Peak at Table Mountain National Park near Cape Town and her body was found on Sunday.

Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed that a search party found the woman's body at around 2pm on Sunday.

“We can confirm that the body of the missing hiker was found by a search party at about 2pm on Sunday, September 22, 2024, in an area which is part of Devil’s Peak and retrieved by EMS helicopter,” said Pojie.

He said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death.

“An inquest was registered for further investigation by Mowbray detectives. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death.”

Brook was on an internship at the University of Cape Town.

Her United States-based father Steve Cheuvront has been left devastated, after he had regularly posted about his daughter’s trip to South Africa.

On August 18, Steve posted pictures of Brook on Facebook, with the caption: “Brook enjoying week 1 of South Africa. A short flight and seven hours bus ride and she is now in Lesotho, Africa”.

On September 10, Steve posted on Facebook that “things are going well” regarding Brook’s sojourn in South Africa.

But events took a nasty turn over the weekend, when Steve shared a post seeking “massive prayers” as Brook had not returned from a hike at Table Mountain.

“Please please. Let her be found. It will be daylight there in 90 minutes. Search and rescue. The US ambassador is aware. All resources will be sent. I may be flying over tomorrow” – Steve posted expressing her frustration when Brook went missing.

This post was followed with another: “Please take down all posts looking for Brook. She was recovered. We are devastated. God help me and us,” Steve posted on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the South African National Parks (SANParks) has also confirmed that a missing hiker, who was presumed to be lost on Table Mountain, was found dead.

SANParks spokesperson JP Louw that the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) operations room was notified by Metro Emergency on Saturday that a missing hiker was reported on Table Mountain.

SANParks said the hiker left her accommodation at around 12pm to go up the mountain. Her friends did not hear from her after she left, and her tracking app never updated since she left her residence.

“An initial search was conducted by SANParks rangers, Wilderness Search and Rescue members, and trail runners until late that evening (on Saturday) when it was no longer practical to continue. Unfortunately, she could not be located at the time. The following morning the search was resumed and conducted on foot,” said Louw.

All agencies were once again dispatched but the search still proved unsuccessful.

“The City of Cape Town’s piloted aircraft was then also deployed to assist with the search resulting in the location of the missing hiker's body on the slopes of the mountain,” said Louw.

SANParks said circumstances around the hiker's death are still being investigated and further details about this incident will be provided as and when necessary.

“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,” said Louw.