According to the National Park Service, a body discovered in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park is likely that of a missing University student. The search for Mateo Cobo Zevallos, conducted by Shenandoah National Park with assistance from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, had to be called off when preliminary identification of remains was made on Sunday, May 21.
About 1.6 miles from where he left his car, the remains were discovered in rugged terrain amid a cluster of rocks.
The body was sent to the Manassas medical examiner’s office, where positive identification was conducted. The medical examiner is attempting to identify the cause of death.
On the afternoon of May 5, Zevallos was heard leaving his home in Oakton, Virginia. It was reported that he would be enrolling at George Mason University. The Fairfax Police Department received a missing person report for the 21-year-old on May 6.
A gray 2020 Honda Civic with four doors was reported missing by Zevallos on Tuesday to park officials.
Park rangers discovered his car in a parking lot for the famed Overall Run Falls Trail in the northern part of Shenandoah National Park.
On Wednesday morning, the park began a search operation, forcing the closure of nearby trails.
Searching crews discovered human remains on Sunday, around 1.6 kilometers from where Zevallos’ car had been parked on Friday.
They found the vehicle at a lot along the famous Overall Run Falls Trail in the northern part of Shenandoah National Park. Officials say they closed six routes in the park to look for Zevallos. There are 516 miles of hiking trails in Shenandoah National Park, and several of the most popular ones, like Overall Run, Mathews Arm, Traces, Beecher Ridge, Tuscarora, and Thompson Hollow, were closed due to the search effort.
The Overall Runs trails are now accessible once again.
