The body of a missing California hiker was recovered Sunday after an intense three-day search by 12 rescue teams, police said.
Up to 60 rescuers took part in the search for experienced hiker Daniel Komins on August 17, 2019. They found his remains in a remote wilderness area in northern California’s Trinity Alps, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook.
Preliminary evidence suggests that Komins may have fallen in the steep and rocky terrain, police said.
Komins, a volunteer firefighter with Blue Lake Fire Department in Humboldt County, had embarked on a solo hike beginning August 10. His family reported the 34-year-old missing when he did not return home as planned five days later, according to the sheriff’s office. Komins had food, water, backpacking supplies, his cell phone and a GPS device with him on the hike, according to the sheriff.
Komins had told his girlfriend on the night of August 11 “that the trip was going as planned,” the sheriff’s office said. Komins had made contact from his campsite using his cell phone, which showed no activity after that day.
The effort to locate Komins included over 40 individual ground searchers, numerous helicopter teams and various all-terrain vehicle teams, according to the sheriff’s office. Helicopters also placed ground searchers into high elevation areas to investigate the difficult-to-access trails.
