Missing 75-year-old hiker died after steep fall from California mountain, officials say
A 75-year-old hiker was found dead after a steep fall from a California mountain, officials say.
Family and friends reported Raymond Kopecky missing on Sunday, Jan. 14, when he did not return from his hike at Mt. Baldy on Sugarloaf Peak trail the day prior, Gloria Huerta, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, said in a Jan. 17 email to McClatchy News.
After Kopecky was reported missing, Huerta said the office sent a search and rescue team to look for him.
The West Valley Search and Rescue team searched the area and found Kopecky dead after a fall in “extremely steep conditions,” according to a Jan. 15 Facebook post from rescuers.
The crew stayed overnight to protect the body from wildlife and wait for safer conditions with daylight to be airlifted out of the area, Huerta said.
Huerta said that while the office believes his death was from a slip and fall, an autopsy will show more.
Mt. Baldy is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to Condé Nast Traveler.
This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Missing 75-year-old hiker died after steep fall from California mountain, officials say."
