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A hiker discovered the body of Hector Zamorano, 41, off the yellow trail at the Ramapo Valley Reservation around noontime Saturday, Nov. 19, said the sheriff, whose department is handling the investigation.
The area is roughly an hour's walk in from Ramapo Valley Road (Route 202) in Mahwah.
Although no foul play was suspected, Cureton said members of his forensics team -- known as the Bureau of Criminal Identification -- nonetheless went to the scene to collect evidence.
The body was then carried out of the park aboard a Gator ATV and taken to the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office for an official cause of death.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella's office was notified, as well.
Zamorano's wife, Maria Lucero, said her husband left the home he shared with her and their 9-year-old around 9 a.m. this past Sunday.
He walked to the nearby Ramapo Valley Reservation, where he often went to clear his head, she said.
Zamorano, who emigrated to the United States with his family from Chile last year, didn't have his phone with him, she said.
Although he'd recently experienced some stress from work, he didn't appear distraught, Lucero said.
Area security video showed Zamorano headed in the direction of the 4,000-acre preserve between Ringwood State Park and the Ramapo Mountain State Forest near the New York State border.
There was no proof that he made it there, however, said authorities who temporarily closed the facility during searches over the past week.
Coordinated township and county search and rescue teams used a variety of means to look for Zamorano, who had a house painting business with his wife.
They employed an ATV, a drone, K9 units, a boat and a helicopter, and were assisted by the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey State Police, NJ Search & Rescue and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
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