LONDON (GN): Police looking for a British woman missing in New Zealand have said they have found her body. Stephanie Simpson, 32, from Essex, is thought to have died in a “tragic accident” while on a hike last weekend in Mount Aspiring National Park. Searchers made the discovery at about 13:40 New Zealand time (00:40 GMT) on Friday in the Pyke Creek area, New Zealand Police said. She appeared to have been washed into a canyon after going into water. Ms Simpson, from the Basildon area, was reported missing on Monday, when a search began in the national park in the country’s Southern Alps region on its South Island. According to her Facebook account, she had been living in the Wanaka area since November and was working as a landscaper. A thermal-imaging drone, dog teams, helicopter and search teams failed to find any sign of her on Thursday, and police in New Zealand had said the search was difficult due to the size and terrain of the area. The wilderness of Mount Aspiring National Park attracts a range of outdoor enthusiasts The search continued on Friday with more teams, who focused on the Pyke area of the park. Her body was located after aerial searches provided images of the area and her boots and backpack were spotted, police said. Sgt Mark Kirkwood, from West Coast Search and Rescue, told the BBC there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms Simpson’s death and it appeared to be a tragic accident. It seemed that she had left the hiking track, taken off her boots and gone into a waterfall, he said. Her body was found in a canyon in the Pyke Creek area, which suggested she had been washed down into it. Her boots were about 900m (2,953 ft) upstream from where her body was discovered and her backpack was nearer to her.