A Kentucky doctor mysteriously vanished after leaving a Norwegian cruise ship for a solo hike in Alaska, prompting a large-scale search for the missing passenger.
Marites Buenafe, 62, was reported missing around 3:18 p.m. Tuesday after she failed to return to the Norwegian Bliss before its 1:30 p.m. departure from Juneau, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
The primary care physician, who works at University of Kentucky HealthCare in Lexington, texted her family around 7:30 a.m., saying she was taking the Mount Roberts Tramway to hike Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak.
Marites Buenafe mysteriously vanished during a Norwegian Cruise in Alaska on July 1, 2025. ALASKA STATE TROOPERS
Police said she was last seen on security footage leaving the building at the tramway’s top stop around the same time she sent her final text.
“We remain optimistic that we will find Marites alive,” Austin McDaniel, a department spokesperson, told the