A tragic mishap killed a York County teacher found dead in rugged terrain along the Susquehanna River in March, police have concluded.
"It was an accidental death consistent with a fall and exposure," Susquehanna Regional Police Chief Ed Haugh said today.
Police had been waiting for toxicology test results on Sara Yorty before closing her case. The tests did not shed any new light on her death.
The 30-year-old Springettsbury Township woman's body was discovered along the Susquehanna River on Tuesday, March 18, by two TMI workers who were hiking in the area on their lunchtime.
Two days before, Yorty had left her parents' house in Annville at about 5 p.m., saying she was going hiking.
It appears she was hiking on a trail that ran between the Susquehanna River and Route 441. Her car was found parked at the Falmouth boat launch, about a quarter- to a half-mile from where her body was found.
The hikers found her body lying on a hillside, heading uphill, in the direction of Route 441.
An autopsy showed she died from a broken pelvis and exposure. Overnight lows fell into the 30s in the days surrounding her disappearance.
Yorty was a teacher at Red Lion Area Senior High School, where she taught English, drama, creative writing and public speaking.
While Susquehanna Regional Police have closed the book on Yorty's death, West Hempfield Township Police still are waiting to see if information surfaces on another woman who was spotted in the Susquehanna River on the same day that Yorty disappeared.
A York County couple was traveling westbound on Route 462 on the evening of Sunday, March 16, when they saw a young woman standing on the south side of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. She was white, dark-haired, in her late teens or early 20s and wearing a gray sweatshirt.
The couple saw the woman go over the side of the bridge. They turned around, drove back and got out of their car. They told police they could see the woman in the water and hear her yelling for help.
Fire and rescue crews searched for the woman and West Hempfield Township Police investigated the disappearance, trying to determine who the woman could be.
Today, about two months later, the woman's body has not yet surfaced. Also, West Hempfield police have not received reports about a missing family member or friend who matches the woman's description.
The bridge is about 10 miles downriver from where Yorty's body was found.
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