Body of missing MIT student recovered in Leh

Kaitlin Goldstein, 28, a PhD student of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA was found missing after going to a nearby mountain trail for a jog.

Kaitlin arrived in Leh Ladakh to attend a workshop organized by The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) —  a local NGO, aimed to reform the educational system of Ladakh.

Rebaca Norman, a trainer at SECMOL said that Kaitlin was an accomplished runner and didn’t return after going to climb a nearby mountain.

“After she arrived in Ladakh, she would go daily to climb the nearby steep mountain. That day she didn’t return and we informed the police,”Rebacca said. “She was alone there and no one was accompanying her.”

Kaitlin was studying the usage of solar energy in the region, Rebaca said.

Sajad Dar, Deputy superintendent of Police in Leh said that investigations are on to find the cause of death.

“We received a call from her maid who informed that after going out for a morning jog, she didn’t came back.

“We used all our available resources including dog squads. After intense searches we found her body lying near a deep gorge,” said Sajad.

Officials said though the postmortem report is yet to come, but the initial investigations indicate that she may have slipped from the top into the ravine resulting in her death.

After hearing the news of their missing daughter, Kaitlin parents had arrived in Ladakh on June 19 to seek help from the US embassy. A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official was designated to investigate the incident.

“A lady came to us and introduced herself as an FBI official,”Sajad said.“FBI was not a part of Investigations in the case.”