A missing hiker enthusiast from Hollister was found dead Sunday near Lover’s Leap off Highway 152 east of Gilroy past Casa de Fruta, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. Jose Cardoza says two adult male hikers, both in their 20s and hailing from Hollister, drove at 9 a.m. Sunday to the Bell Station access area near the 14000 block of Pacheco Pass Highway in unincorporated Santa Clara County. The pair began their day by hiking and climbing rocks and cliffs in the area, according to a press release from Cardoza.
After one of the hikers tumbled an undetermined distance off a cliff on Lover’s Leap – a rocky basalt peak overlooking the highway – the other hiker made his way to a nearby property and asked the residents to phone 911 for help, according to Cardoza.
“He was loosing consciousness and bleeding,” said Cardoza, describing the other hiker who was later transported to an unspecified hospital. “The other hiker is expected to survive, but we don’t know to what extent his injuries are.”
At least a dozen Sheriff’s deputies, along with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, were dispatched at 4:38 p.m. to the scene. As dark descended and the weather turned unfavorable, officers had to suspend the rescue operation and stay overnight to protect the crime scene, Cardoza said.
“It’s a remote area where the hiker fell – it’s extremely steep,” said Cardoza. “Some of our search and rescue deputies almost got injured and hurt last night.”
Crime Scene Investigators, deputies, detectives and members of the sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team are currently preparing to retrieve the hiker’s body, according to Cardoza. As processing and documenting the scene will take a few hours, Cardoza estimates rescue personnel will begin the perilous process off extracting the hiker’s body early this afternoon.
Cardoza doesn’t know how far the deceased hiker fell, or if the hiker died instantly from the impact. However, the hiker was deceased when he was located Sunday evening by search and rescue personnel, Cardoza confirmed.
The extraction of the hiker’s body will be staged on private property inland from Highway 152, according to Cardoza. The nearest crossroad to the scene is Kaiser-Aetna Road, Cardoza said.
The identity of the deceased hiker is pending release from the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office. The identity of the hiker who survived has not been released.
Check back soon for more updates.
