The body of a woman believed to be a 50-year-old hiker who went missing on a trail in San Diego after becoming separated from her group during a heat wave Sunday was found near a populated area, authorities said.
The body of an Asian woman, believed to be Diem Le Nguyen, was discovered off a trail around 9:15 a.m. Monday during a helicopter search in Black Mountain, police lieutenant told reporters. San Diego's Daniel Meyer during a press conference near the search area. .
“I was about a quarter mile from a town, from getting to a street,” Meyer said. “She almost made it out.”
A hat that Nguyen was believed to have been wearing at the time of her disappearance was also found shortly before search teams detected the body, Meyer said.
HIKER LOST FOR 10 DAYS FOUND ALIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Police said Diem Le Nguyen appeared in this photo taken on Sunday before disappearing. (San Diego Police Department)
Nguyen was hiking the Nighthawk Trail in Black Mountain with a group of about 100 people, including family and friends, when the group stopped mid-trail around 8 a.m., police said.
Diem Le Nguyen disappeared on the Nighthawk Trail after separating from her group to continue along the trail alone, authorities said. (FOX5 San Diego KSWB)
The group was participating in an annual fundraiser for the Build a School Foundation, according to FOX5 San Diego.
Nguyen left the group alone and continued to the summit alone, according to police.
Diem Le Nguyen, 50, was reported missing on Sunday after disappearing during a hike on Black Mountain's Nighthawk Trail in San Diego. (San Diego Police Department)
Nguyen made a “distressed phone call” to his family around 10 a.m., stating that he was very hot and needed water, Meyer told reporters. It was the last time anyone heard from Nguyen.
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Due to the phone call and excessive heat in the mountains, Meyer said search and rescue teams, including helicopters, dogs, drones and ground teams, were immediately deployed to find Nguyen.
Search and rescue teams are searching for missing hiker Diem Le Nguyen near the Nighthawk Trail on Black Mountain in San Diego. (FOX5 San Diego KSWB)
California officials warned of high temperatures affecting inland San Diego over the weekend, and the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat advisory for parts of Southern California through Sunday.
“It's obviously a very painful time for family and friends,” Meyer said. “It's really important for the community to come together and support this family as they go through this traumatic time.”
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Meyer said the Medical Examiner's Office will conduct a death investigation, which will confirm the identity of the body.
