US hiker’s family shaken by ‘tragic’ and ‘accidental loss’ of their daughter
Cape Town - “Profoundly earthshaking.” That was how the grieving father of American student, Brook Cheuvront, described news of his 20-year-old adventure-loving daughter’s death after her body was found on Devil’s Peak.
Steve Cheuvront took to Facebook asking the world to respect their right to grieve their beloved daughter, whom he said had so much life to live.
Steve also shared his last photograph standing with Brook at the airport in August 2024, as she departed for South Africa.
Brook was a student at the University of North Carolina (UNC).
She had joined an internship associated with Morehead-Cain Scholarship through Justice Desk Africa Ntsika ye Themba programme, which focuses on educating young boys on gender-based violence.
Brook had shared via her social media, accounts of attending classes at UCT relating to the programme.
“My sweet girl. So much life left to enjoy. So profoundly earthshaking,” Steve wrote.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the tragic, unexpected and accidental loss of our beloved daughter, Brook Ceclia. She illuminated our lives and left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing her.
“She brought joy, laughter, kindness, and helpfulness to our lives and the lives of everyone she encountered.
“As we navigate this unimaginable loss, we ask for privacy during this difficult time. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our friends, family, and community.
“In honour of Brook, we encourage everyone to cherish the moments with their loved ones and to continue spreading kindness in Brook’s memory.
“Brook had a vigorous passion and love for learning. In lieu of flowers, the Cheuvront family wishes to have a scholarship fund for Avery High School honouring Brook.”
Brook had been in South Africa for more than a month before the tragedy.
According to ABC.11.com, which Steve had shared via his Facebook page, Brook had worked at the Morehead Planetarium under the wing of Todd Boyette.
Boyette, director of Morehead Planetarium and Science Centre on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill, was quoted saying: “It was very easy for me to say if you come to Carolina you can work at Morehead. Usually when scholars land on campus they are busy. I end up not seeing them a lot, but in Brook’s case she was here often. It was good to see her. She never met a stranger.”
UCT spokesperson, Elijah Moholola, referred the Cape Argus to UNC at Chapel Hill who are dealing with media queries, but they did not respond by the time of publication.
Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, yesterday said he could not comment further on the post-mortem, but said an inquest docket would be pursued.
“Be advised that the matter you are referring to is still under investigation. There are no new developments to report at this stage,” he said.
Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, said Brook’s death showed how instrumental their drone intelligence was in tracing missing hikers and that its technology would be used this festive season as mountain visits become more frequent.
“The Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) was able to pinpoint a location of interest, and drones were deployed to attempt to get a closer view, but unfortunately, it was too far away and wind conditions were not ideal for drone flights,” he said.
“The ISR pilot then notified the joint operations committee that he was confident the point of interest was the missing hiker based on the description supplied.
“The Western Cape EMS Skymed Helicopter moved to the point of interest, and a paramedic roped down but sadly confirmed the patient was deceased. Additional rescue teams hiked to the location to assist.”
The US Embassy issued a statement saying: “We can confirm the death of an American citizen hiker in Table Mountain National Park. We are deeply saddened by her loss and offer our condolences to her family and friends at this terrible time.”
The diplomatic mission in Pretoria added that is working closely with the South African government.
“The United States considers the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad to be our top priority, and our mission in South Africa has worked closely with local authorities as well as the victim’s family and others to assist in this case,” read a response to IOL.
Addressing safety concerns about the city’s mountains, SANParks spokesperson JP Louw said considering official statistics and visitor numbers, speculation about the cause of death may cause unnecessary alarm.
“Over the last year, the official crime statistics has drastically decreased from 16 and 32, respectively, in October and November 2023 to six in July 2024 and three in August 2024. These are objective and verifiable statistics. As such, SANParks vehemently discourages the use of unverifiable and subjective statistics,” said Louw.
He added that the Table Mountain National Park Safety and Security Forum, a partnership comprising SANParks, SAPS and the City, in which intelligence and resources are shared, has successfully brought about a drop in criminal activities on the mountains.
genevieve.serra@inl.co.za