Body found amid search for missing hiker on Black Mountain trail – NBC 7 San Diego

San Diego police believe they have found the body of a 50-year-old woman who went missing Sunday while hiking on Black Mountain, amid the region’s first heat wave of the summer.

The department held a news conference Monday to announce that a body matching the description of Diem Le Nguyen, who went missing while hiking the Nighthawk Trail at 9711 Oviedo Way, has been found. The medical examiner’s office would determine if the body was that of the missing hiker, but a message on X announced that Nguyen had been located and the search was over.

“At this point, this is obviously a very painful time for family and friends,” said SDPD Lt. Daniel Meyer. “It’s really important that the community comes together and supports this family as they go through this traumatic time.”

Investigators said Nguyen began the hike with a group of 100 hikers participating in a 5K fundraiser for the Build a School Foundation. When the group stopped halfway around 8 a.m., Nguyen took the lead and completed the trail alone, SDPD said.

At 9:30 a.m., she contacted the group to tell them she had reached the end of the trail. Then at 10:08 a.m., Nguyen contacted her sister to tell her she was tired and needed water.

After not making contact, she was reported missing. On Sunday evening, search and rescue teams of more than 50 volunteers, search dogs and drones combed the mountain until nightfall.

“Worried, because we really need her. We really need her,” William Do, a member of Nguyen’s family, told NBC 7.

Nguyen’s disappearance came during the first heat wave of the summer in San Diego County, with an excessive heat watch that was in effect for the mountains until 8 p.m. Sunday. The trail is listed on the AllTrails hiking app as a round trip of approximately 4 miles. trail near Poway. It is moderately difficult with an elevation gain of approximately 850 feet.

Meyer said the body was found off the beaten path, just 400 meters from civilization.

Several search teams responded immediately when a report came in that a hiker was missing due to the heat, Meyer said. San Diego Sheriff’s search and rescue teams, several helicopters, a search drone, K-9 units and park rangers all assisted. Despite the tips, their efforts were in vain and were canceled around 1 a.m.

On Monday, the search continued and authorities asked the public to stay away from the area so as not to confuse search dogs by adding more scents.

Officials were also able to get pings from Nguyen’s cell phone, however, they said they were not restricted but continued to attempt pings to the cell phone.

“We sent a location message to Diem through our SAR team. This is a capability that, if a single button is pressed, when it appears on the screen, shares GPS data in direct with our SAR team here However, this was not the case activated,” said Lt. Daniel Meyer of the SDPD.

The body was found around 9:15 a.m. Monday. A medical examiner would determine the identity, Meyer said.

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