Remains recovered from Oregon’s Mount Hood are those of 2 climbers missing since December

Remains on Oregon peak belong to missing climbers

PORTLAND, Ore. — Two bodies recovered Thursday from Mount Hood are the remains of climbers missing and presumed dead since December, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s office has confirmed.

The remains are those of Katie Nolan, 29, of Portland, and Anthony Vietti, 25, of Longview, Wash., Clackamas County sheriff’s spokesman Jim Strovink said Thursday evening. The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death, Strovink said.

A Portland Mountain Rescue team discovered a second body early Thursday while trying to recover remains spotted a few days earlier. The bodies were found near each other but were not in a snow cave or shelter, Strovink said.

The remains were discovered on the north side of the mountain. The area — above 9,700 feet on the 11,239-foot peak — is marked by ice, rocks, loose footing and steep terrain, so getting the remains off the mountain was a slow process.

Nolan and Vietti were in a party of three reported missing during an attempt to climb Mount Hood on Dec. 11. Searchers found one climber, Luke Gullberg of Des Moines, Wash., dead from hypothermia on Dec. 12.

Authorities ended the search for Nolan and Vietti four days later.

The remains were found in an area near where Gullberg’s body was found.

Recovery team members documented the scene with photographs and video. The sheriff’s office and the medical examiner’s office continue to investigate the deaths.

“We all want to know what went wrong or what happened, so we’re going to take all the information to try to figure that out,” sheriff’s Lt. Shane Strangfield said.

Relatives of Nolan and Vietti traveled to Mount Hood and were in contact with authorities throughout the day. In a statement, they thanked those involved in the recovery.

Memorial services for the climbers were held in December. Nolan and Vietti were described as avid climbers who were deeply religious.

Mount Hood, the tallest mountain in Oregon, is a popular climbing site that has seen dozens of accidents and fatalities over the years.