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The body of 40-year-old Fae Morgana Barbone was found Tuesday, April 16, in a rural part of Rensselaer County on the Taconic Crest Trail, located nearly eight miles east of Berlin, Williamstown Police said.
Barbone was reported missing out of Williamstown, Massachusetts, on Thursday, March 7.
She had last been seen in Maine, where she had an “interaction” with a police officer, according to Williamstown Police. Sightings of the woman were also reported in North Adams and the Carolinas.
“It's been confirmed that the remains are those of Fae Morgana Barbone, the missing person last seen in the area in early March, which prompted extensive searches over several days by multiple agencies,” Williamstown Police said on Facebook.
Authorities did not speculate on a cause of death or how long she may have been there.
The case saw its first break at around 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 19, when someone reported a suspicious vehicle parked in Williamstown at the end of Berlin Road, a rural, isolated hiking area near the state line.
A check of the Ford Fiesta’s registration confirmed it belonged to Barbone, police said.
Due to the remote location and difficult terrain, Williamstown Police called in additional search crews to look for the woman, including New York and Massachusetts state police and environmental conservation police. Crews also used drones and a K-9 unit but found no sign of her.
Shortly after police confirmed Barbone’s death, a relative revealed that the woman was found “atop a mountain.”
“She died peacefully, in the place she loved most, the wilderness,” Athena Lawson-Barbone said on Facebook. “Fae was loved by many and will be greatly missed.”
Funeral arrangements for Barbone had not been publicized as of Wednesday, April 17.
The Taconic Crest Trail runs through the Rensselaer County towns of Stephentown, Berlin, and Petersburg, the Berkshire County towns of Hancock and Williamstown, and Pownal, Vermont.
New York State Police and Abington Police are handling the investigation.
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