Search teams in New Mexico continued on Saturday to look for a missing former White House chef who was last seen setting off for a solo hike in the mountains near Taos last weekend.
Walter Scheib, 61, went hiking in the area on Saturday and never returned home, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said. He was reported missing the next day.
Scheib set off on the Yerba Canyon Trail, which reaches altitudes above 12,000 feet, Taos Search and Rescue said. Scheib’s vehicle was found at the Yerba Canyon Trailhead on Tuesday, the department of public safety said.
The search has included ground teams and aircraft, state police said. The air search was expanded Friday but the mountainous terrain and dense vegetation has made the air effort difficult, the department said.
According to Scheib’s professional website, he served as White House executive chef under President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush from 1994 until 2005. He was initially hired by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, who the site says was “impressed by the comprehensive spa menu Scheib had developed for the Greenbrier resort, as well as his highlighting of American cuisine.” He is listed as co-author of “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen,” published in 2007.
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