A body, believed to be that of a 50-year-old woman who went missing during a fundraiser hike on Black Mountain, was found on Monday morning, according to San Diego Police.
During a news conference on Monday, SDPD Lt. Daniel Meyer reported that a search helicopter discovered the body on the mountain at around 9:15 a.m.
The body was found about a quarter-mile from Carmel Mountain Road and Via Rimini in Rancho Peñasquitos.
Meyer noted that the individual "nearly made it out" of the trail.
The deceased person matched the description of Diem Nguyen, but official identification and the cause of death will be confirmed by the Medical Examiner's Office.
Family members have been notified of this update.
Nguyen was hiking with a large group on the Nighthawk Trail for a fundraiser by the Build a School Foundation.
She chose to continue hiking alone after the group stopped halfway around 8 a.m. on Sunday.
Hike organizer Jimmy Thai’s livestream showed Nguyen on the trail.
Around 9:30 a.m., Nguyen informed group members that she had reached the trail's end.
By 10 a.m., she called her family, saying she was hot and needed water.
That was her last known contact.
Due to the extreme heat and the challenging terrain, police declared Nguyen missing and at risk.
Thai and other hikers returned to the area on Monday morning to assist in the search but stayed off the trail to allow search-and-rescue dogs to work.
"As the leader, I am committed to our volunteers' safety and support. We won’t rest until we have cooperated fully with the police to find her," said Thai.
Members of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, alongside volunteers, helicopters, and drones, searched throughout Sunday and into the evening but did not find Nguyen.
The search resumed at 7:30 a.m. Monday but yielded no results.
SDPD officials urged the public to avoid the trail and surrounding areas as the search continued.
Comments
Post a Comment