The body of former White House chef, who was missing for more than a week, has been found by authorities off a hiking trail in New Mexico.

The 61-year-old chef disappeared more than a week ago on a solo hike through New Mexico Mountain in the Taos area. He was last seen on June 13. The police didn't provide a cause of death or any other details about the discovery of his body.

Walter Scheib cooked for Presidents Clinton and Bush, their families and their White House guests between 1994 and 2005. During his decade in the White House, he was responsible for preparing everything from First Family meals to formal State Dinners.

Scheib recently moved from Florida to Taos, New Mexico, and reportedly went for a hike on June 13 in the mountains near the Taos Ski Valley. The next day, his girlfriend reported him missing.

On Tuesday, Taos police found his vehicle parked at the Yerba Canyon trailhead. The 4-mile trail follows a canyon bottom before climbing to 3,700 feet in elevation, according to the US Forest Service website.

The research was assisted by the US Air Force and the New Mexico National Guard. An air search was made difficult by high mountain peaks, deep canyons and dense vegetation.

Scheib wrote a book about his experiences, titled 'White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen'. The book was published in 2007.