Australian soldier Captain Paul McKay died on an upstate New York mountain from hypothermia, a coroner has ruled.
A forest ranger located Capt McKay's body near the summit of Scarface Mountain on Wednesday, 150m off a walking trail.
He was covered by a blanket, but did not have the appropriate camping shelter to survive the snow storms and minus 30 degrees Celsius temperatures that struck the north-east of the US in early January.
Essex County Coroner Francis Whitelaw ruled on Thursday the death was a suicide.
An autopsy found he died from arrhythmia due to hypothermia.
"The family has been informed of this news, and we have expressed our deep sympathy for their loss," Saranac Lake police chief Bruce Nason said.
For two weeks there were grave concerns for Capt McKay, who was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour of Afghanistan and was on leave from the Australian Army.
Capt McKay sent an email to his father on December 30.
In the email Capt McKay said he was leaving all of his possessions to his father and the last sighting was on New Year's Eve when he was walking along train tracks near Scarface Mountain.
The mountain has an elevation of 932m.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
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