KTLA is reporting that the body of Venice resident Michelle Yu has been found, days after she went missing on a hike near Mt. Baldy. Our condolences to her family and friends.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies tell KTLA they found a body believed to be that of missing 49-year-old Michelle Yu who disappeared while hiking near Mt. Baldy in the Angeles National Forest.
The body was found Wednesday night in the Fish Fork area, 2,100 feet down the side of a cliff.
Yu, described as an experienced hiker, was reported missing Sunday after she failed to return from a hike a day earlier.
Yu’s vehicle was found at Mt. Baldy and Falls roads.
Authorities initially feared that she may have fallen and injured herself after they were unable to reach her on her cell phone.
Some hikers reported hearing a woman screaming from a canyon around 6 p.m. Sunday, but couldn’t determine exactly where the voice came from.
Search-and-rescue crews and a helicopter scoured the area for any signs of Yu.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Arden Wiltshire says Yu had food and water with her, but was planning only a one-day hike.
Wiltshire also says she wasn’t dressed for the storm that hit the mountain with rain, wind and snow Sunday night.
Rescue crews say conditions on the mountain were miserable and at one point even forced them to hunker down as strong winds blew rain sideways along the trails.
During her hike, Yu had been carrying a 40-pound bag of rocks on her back to train for an upcoming extreme hike in the Andes Mountains.
