Peru: Mummified Body of American Man Found After Being Buried by Avalanche 22 Years Ago

The mummified remains of an American man who had been missing for 22 years have been found in Peru. He was reportedly caught in an avalanche in one of the highest peaks of the Andes Mountains over two decades ago before finally dying.

The mummified body of the American has been identified as climber William Stampfl, and he was found near the Andes's Huascaran peak, which is around 6,700 meters or 22,000 feet above sea level. It was a climber who found his remains, which were described as frozen and mostly intact.

After 22 years, his family already had little hope that he would be found alive and also did not expect that his body would be found over two decades later. However, this changed when his daughter, Jennifer Stampfl, 53, received a phone call from a stranger, telling her that he had come across the American man's mummified body while he was climbing the Huascaran.

"It's been a shock," she told the Associated Press. "When you get that phone call that he's been found, your heart just sinks. You don't know how exactly to feel at first."

"For 22 years, we just kind of put in our mind: 'This is the way it is. Dad's part of the mountain, and he's never coming home,'" added his daughter.

The late Stampfl was in Peru to climb the Huascaran in 2002. He was 58 at that time and went there with two of his friends. As they were climbing, they got caught up in an avalanche. All three of them died from the incident.

Soon after the discovery of the mummified American man, a group of policemen and mountain guides arrived and placed his body on a stretcher, covered it in an orange tarp, and slowly took it down the mountain. The location of the body was at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,060 feet). Getting to that location takes a nine-hour hike from one of the camps.

Only 2 of the 3 American Climbers Had Ever Been Recovered in Peru

The American went with friends Steve Erskine and Matthew Richardson. However, after the avalanche which took their lives, only the body of Steve Erskine had ever been recovered. To this day, the body of Matthew Richardson has never been found.

Stampfl's body was well preserved, with his clothes being in good condition. His daughter has stated that they plan to move his body to a funeral home in Peru's capital, Lima. They plan to have him cremated and then have his ashes cremated and repatriated back to the US.

More and More Bodies Are Being Found in Peru's Mountainous Region

Because of climate change melting the ice in Peru, more and more bodies are being found around the Andes. In fact, Stampfl is already the third dead climber found in the region this year, with his body only found due to the melting ice,

In May, the body of an Israeli man was found in the region, while the second body, belonging to a missing Italian climber, was found in June.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Body of American climber who died 22 years ago found on Peru mountain - Associated Press