Body of hiker found in the mountainous area near Rancho Mirage
The body of a hiker who appeared to have died of natural causes was found in the southeast canyons of Rancho Mirage, authorities said today.
Some hikers spotted the man’s body in a mountainous area known as the Big Horn Sheep Reserve around 8 a.m. yesterday and notified the Cathedral City police of their discovery, Sgt. David Florez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Due to the terrain, the Riverside County Desert Search and Rescue team and the sheriff’s Aviation Unit were summoned to recover the body.
The rescue party hiked into the canyons and climbed roughly 75 feet to where the body was located, Florez said, adding that it was transported out of the area in a sheriff’s helicopter.
An initial investigation has determined that the hiker appears to have died of natural causes, he said.
The hiker, who has yet to be identified, is white and between the ages of 40 and 50. He is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds. He was wearing a sweatsuit and hiking shoes.
Anyone with information on the hiker was urged to call the Rancho Mirage Police Department at (760) 836-1600 or Deputy Coroner Mike Werk at 760-863- 8311.
—From news services