Sheriff: Jia Huang, Missing Hiker From San Francisco, Drowned In Desolation Wilderness
EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — The body of a missing hiker from San Francisco has been found in the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha.
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, they first got a report about an abandoned tent on Tuesday near Lake Aloha. The tent looked to have been blown over by the wind.
Deputies say a USFS Wilderness Permit and a driver's license belonging to 32-year-old Jia Huang were among the personal items found at the site.
Huang's family told authorities that he was known to camp along and was scheduled to come home on Wednesday. Based on information from other hikers in the area, the sheriff's office says it appears that Huang's campsite was abandoned at some point between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
With Huang nowhere to be found, emergency texts and pings were sent to his phone. Crews also started searching the area by air.
Wednesday morning, a search and rescue team was assembled and went out to look for Huang. It was then that some gear was spotted close to the shore of Lake Aloha. With the help of an aerial search, the body of a person was spotted underwater.
A dive team has since recovered the body. It has been positively identified as that of Huang's, the sheriff's office says.
Investigators have determined that Huang accidentally drowned in the water.