Mocobizscene- Authorities have confirmed that a hiker who had been missing for several days on Mount Baldy in Southern California was tragically found deceased over the weekend.
In a statement released by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, it was announced that the body of Lefei Huang, aged 22, was successfully recovered on Sunday morning from the upper San Antonio Creek Falls area of the mountain. The operation was carried out by a helicopter crew.
On Saturday afternoon, a young woman was possibly spotted by a drone operator. However, immediate search efforts were hindered by challenging conditions, preventing searchers from reaching the location. Furthermore, high winds made it unsafe to conduct an aerial search.
The mountain soars to an impressive height of over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), located approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Throughout the years, it has been adorned by numerous snowstorms, leaving it beautifully blanketed in snow.
Huang, a resident of suburban El Monte, went missing on the evening of February 4th. She had embarked on a solo hike around 2 p.m. and did not make any contact after around 4 p.m. on that day.
The search efforts faced obstacles due to heavy snowfall and the risk of avalanches, which compelled the rescue teams to evacuate the mountain. In winter, Baldy is notorious for its treacherous conditions, which tragically resulted in the loss of several hikers’ lives last year, including the renowned actor Julian Sands.
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