Walter Scheib, Former White House Chef, Found Dead In New Mexico

The body of Walter Scheib, who once served as the White House executive chef, was found in the mountains of New Mexico Sunday.

Walter Scheib Found Dead

Scheib, 61, had last been seen on June 13, when he had embarked on a solo hike on a Taos, N.M., mountain trail. He was soon thereafter reported missing by a family member, which eventually led to a search-and-rescue mission around Taos Ski Valley, reported The Taos News.

On Tuesday of last week, a search team located Scheib’s car at the Yerba Canyon trail head. Roughly 1.7 miles from the location of his abandoned vehicle, a search team found the chef’s body in a river, according to the New Mexico State Police.

“We are tremendously appreciative of the search team’s efforts, especially on Father’s Day,” read a statement from Scheib’s family on Sunday before his body was discovered. “Some of the searchers drove from up to 8 hours away to be here, and they’ve been going non-stop. We are still holding out hope that Walter will be found alive, and we deeply appreciate the support and prayers.”

Scheib first started working as the White House’s executive chef in 1994, when he was hired by then-first lady Hillary Clinton. He continued in the position during the beginning of George Bush‘s presidency before leaving the White House in 2005.