Mystery as Columbia graduate, 23, is found dead on Panama island three days after she went missing during a trip to the beach   

  • Catherine Johannet, of Scarsdale, New York, was found dead on hiking trail on Bastimentos Island Sunday afternoon 
  • Johannet was last seen alive Thursday morning when she left her hostel on Colon Island on her way to Red Frog Beach, never to return 
  • US Embassy in Panama City confirmed Johannet's passing but no cause of death was provided

By Associated Press and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:41 EST, 6 February 2017 | Updated: 17:37 EST, 6 February 2017

A 23-year-old tourist from New York has been discovered dead on a Panama island during a trip to the beach.

Panama's Civil Defense said the body of Catherine Johannet, of Scarsdale, was found Sunday on a trail in a wooded area not far from a beach on Bastimentos Island. 

The US Embassy in Panama City confirmed her passing but no cause of death was provided and it was unclear whether foul play was suspected.

Catherine Johannet, 23, of Scarsdale, New York
Johannet was found dead on a Panama island Sunday afternoon, three days after she had left on a trip to the beach

Tourist found dead: Catherine Johannet, 23 (left and right), was found dead on a Panama island Sunday afternoon, three days after she had left on a trip to the beach 

Adventurer: Johannet had been staying at a hostel in the village of Bosca del Toro on Colon Island (pictured in file photo) during a backpacking trip  

Adventurer: Johannet had been staying at a hostel in the village of Bosca del Toro on Colon Island (pictured in file photo) during a backpacking trip  

Final destination: Johannet had been planning to spend half the day Thursday on Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island (pictured), a popular travel destination in Panama 

Final destination: Johannet had been planning to spend half the day Thursday on Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island (pictured), a popular travel destination in Panama 

Johannet had been staying in a hostel in Bosca del Toro village on Colon Island, part of the same archipelago popular among tourists for its clear water, coral reefs and wildlife.

The US Embassy says that Panamanian authorities and the FBI had searched for Johannet throughout the weekend and will continue investigating the case.

Johannet was last seen alive at around 10am on Thursday on Colon Island, where she had been staying during a backpacking vacation, reported LoHud.com.

That morning, she traveled to the nearby Bastimentos Island, a popular travel destination off the northern cast of Panama, where she had been planning to spend the day on Red Frog Beach.

Staff at Johannet's hostel on Colon Island reported her missing after she failed to return from her day trip, according to Newsroom Panama.

Gone: Staff at Johannet's hostel reported her missing after she failed to return from her beach excursion 

Gone: Staff at Johannet's hostel reported her missing after she failed to return from her beach excursion 

This map shows locations off the coast on Panama where Catherine Johannet had visited and where her body was found on Sunday  

This map shows locations off the coast on Panama where Catherine Johannet had visited and where her body was found on Sunday  

Police and volunteers scoured the islands in search of the missing tourist until her body was discovered on a hiking trail near the beach on Bastimentos at 2.11pm on Sunday.

Adrienne Bory, press attache at the US Embassy in Panama offered condolences to Catherine Johannet's family in New York.

Catherine’s older sister, Laura, took to Facebook Sunday to thank friends for their support during this trying time.

‘My family is thinking of all our beautiful memories with our laughing, adventurous, warm little girl,’ she wrote in a status update.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Catherine graduated from Columbia University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in comparative literature.

From July 2015 to October 2016, she was employed as a teacher with the organization IvyPrerp based out of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Her family were on their way to Panama on Monday to bring her body home.

Johannet is survived by her parents, sister Laura and brother Paul. 

Catherine graduated from Columbia University in 2015
She worked as a teacher in Hanoi, Vietnam

Well-traveled: Catherine graduated from Columbia University in 2015 with a degree in literature. She worked as a teacher in Hanoi, Vietnam

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