In Washington state, two hikers made a startling discovery when they came across the skeletal remains of a woman who had been reported missing. The woman, a 33-year-old mother of three named Hailey Athay, vanished after reportedly going mushroom picking with an unfamiliar man just before Thanksgiving in 2024.
Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the remains found in a secluded area near Kelso belonged to Athay. The hikers encountered two bones and an article of clothing, which prompted them to notify the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
This unsettling find was made just north of the Oregon border, adding a somber note to the scenic landscape.
Due to the late hour, officials were unable to immediately reach the site. They requested that the hikers photograph the bones, which were then reviewed by a forensic anthropologist to determine their origin.
Upon confirmation that the bones were human, one of the hikers guided a search team back to the hidden location off Rose Valley Road the following day. There, the team uncovered additional bones and several personal items.
“Nearly complete skeletal remains were located, along with various items of clothing and personal belongings,” the sheriff’s office stated in their announcement.
Sheriff’s office officials confirmed the area had been identified as “an area of interest” in Athay’s disappearance, but previous searches had resulted in zero discoveries.
Officials sent the skull to a forensics lab that confirmed the remains belonged to Athay by comparing dental records of the missing mother.
Athay was reported missing by her family in January 2025, over a month after she last talked to her mother, Nicole Brooks, from a store just before Thanksgiving in 2024.
Brooks says her daughter told her she “was doing well” and was with a man the mother didn’t know, Fox 13 Seattle reported.
Athay had told a friend she was going to pick mushrooms with the man before her disappearance, according to the outlet.
“I can hear her—‘Hi, Mama’—and it just breaks my heart that I won’t hear that again,” Brooks told KPTV.
News of her daughter’s death did not surprise Brooks but still left her distraught.
“It’s not that it was unexpected that this would be the outcome, but it certainly isn’t what we wanted in our hearts,” she said. “It was a nightmare. It was just a nightmare. You don’t know, and you hold out hope—and the longer it goes, the harder it is.”
Athay’s cause and manner of death were not revealed as officials continue to investigate her disappearance, the sheriff’s office said.
She leaves behind three daughters who are now living with family members.
No criminal charges have been announced in Athay’s death.
