Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Feb. 28, at approximately 11:30 hours, California State Parks, California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of an unidentified male near Indian Head Peak in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The body was transferred over to the San Diego Coroner’s office. It is believed that the body belongs to a hiker that was reported missing last Friday, February 24. Investigators are working to identify the body.

Last Friday, officials at Anza Borrego Desert State Park received a phone call from a concerned citizen in reference to a possible missing hiker who had signed up for several hikes in the Borrego Springs area but had not shown up at the scheduled times, the first one being on February 14. The concerned citizen advised that the missing hiker might have been hiking Indian Head Peak which is a popular, but steep, “No-Trail” ascent up to reach the summit. San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, San Diego Search and Rescue, and California State Parks Peace Officers searched the area and were unable to locate the hiker.

On Saturday, February 25, a hiker notified the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, that while hiking near Indian Head Peak, hikers discovered a deceased body possibly matching the description of the missing hiker. San Diego County Sheriff’s Office notified California State Parks of the report. California Highway Patrol H60 was able to fly over and locate the victim. They were unable to recover the body due to unfavorable weather conditions. On February 26, they made another attempt to recover the victim, but once again the weather conditions prevented a successful recovery. Due to the rugged terrain and the remoteness of where the victim was located, a recovery by foot was not an option. A final aerial attempt was made this morning and was successful.