Body Of Missing Glendale Woman, Narineh Avakian, Found
GLENDALE (CBSLA) — The body of a missing 37-year-old Glendale woman was found Saturday, deputies said.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team found a body near the Mt. Waterman Trail in the Angeles National Forest around 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The area is steep and rugged terrain. The crew was able to retrieve the body for the Coroner's Office, identified as Narineh Avakian.
Avakian was last seen on March 7 leaving her home for a one-day hiking trip. Police say she did not tell her family where she was going, but it was not unusual for Avakian to go off hiking with a group or by herself.
Avakian's vehicle was found Thursday parked at the Buckhorn Day Use Area along Angeles Crest Highway, an area police say was heavily impacted by this week's snowstorm.
With the discovery of Avakian's vehicle, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials deployed a search and rescue team, even as 12 inches of snow fell overnight, according to Glendale police. Worsening weather conditions forced the search to stop at about 2 a.m. Friday, but efforts resumed a few hours later. The vehicle was towed back to Glendale police station for further processing.
More than 60 searchers from 17 counties joined this effort. Investigators say there were no signs of foul play.
The coroner's office will now take over the case to figure out the cause of death.