Tragic conclusion to search for Australian hiker missing in B.C.

An Australian hiker has been found dead after being reported missing over the weekend in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia.

Kimberley RCMP say police were alerted Sunday about a 25-year-old woman who had been missing since the previous day.

Officers say they found the woman’s vehicle near Bear Lake, about 60 kilometres east of Kimberley, and searchers subsequently found her body.

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Police say the death is not considered suspicious.

The RCMP did not name the victim, but relatives in Australia have, on Facebook, identified her as Julia-Mary Lane.

A Facebook post by Lane’s roommate, who first alerted police to her disappearance, says Lane was visiting Kimberley from Canmore, Alta., for a week and planned to hike the region while she was in B.C.