Helicopter Locates Body Of Missing Hiker After 5-Day Search
LONE PINE, Calif. (AP) -- The body of a missing hiker was found on a Northern California mountain by a helicopter after a five-day search.
The Fresno Bee reported Monday that 68-year-old John Lee of Southern California went missing on July 19 after setting out to summit Mt. Whitney with a group of hikers a day before.
After leaving Whitney Portal, the group was forced to stop about a half-mile from the top of Mt. Whitney, where they spent the night.
The following morning, Lee left the group to attempt to find a safer path for his hiking party to descend. He never returned.
A search for him began July 20. His body was found Sunday afternoon.
The cause of his death remains under investigation.
Mt. Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of 14,505 feet.
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