Police searching NY park for missing hiker

Police with dogs and helicopters searched a snow-covered state park on Tuesday for a woman who apparently went hiking there on Sunday and didn’t come home.

Temperatures were expected to drop sharply Tuesday night to about 10 degrees after two relatively mild days, and "We need to find her as soon as possible,” said Clarkstown Sgt. Nicholas Lafasciano.

The missing woman was identified as Colleen Murphy, 47, of Valley Cottage.

The sergeant said police heard Tuesday morning from Murphy’s parents in Florida, who reported that her friends couldn’t find her. Officers went to her condo, where she lives alone, and found no one.

Police then learned that the woman had sent a text message to a friend on Sunday saying she was going hiking, possibly at Rockland Lake State Park. They found her car at the park.

The sergeant said police believe Murphy had her dog with her. They also believe she had a cell phone.

He said the region’s recent heavy snowfalls made for "hard going” in the wooded park, which affords cliffside views of the Hudson River 28 miles from Manhattan. About 25 officers from his department and the state park police were searching, and three helicopters were in the air. A bloodhound and two German shepherds were also in the park.

State parks spokesman Dan Keefe said it was unlikely that snow would have been cleared from hiking trails.