The body of a Hollister hiker was extracted Sunday afternoon from the rocky face of a tree-covered mountain jutting high above Highway 152, according to Sgt. Jose Cardoza with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
The body was identified Tuesday as 22-year-old Travis Bermudes by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office.
On Monday, nine officers and 20 personnel from the SCC Search and Rescue team retrieved Bermudes’ body after he fell approximately 40 feet from Lover’s Leap. This rocky peak is located east of Gilroy past Casa de Fruta in unincorporated Santa Clara County.
Bermudes, along with a hiking companion – also in his 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. The pair began their day by hiking and climbing rocks and cliffs in the area, according to a press release from Cardoza. Â
After Bermudes tumbled from a ledge atop Lover’s Leap – a rocky basalt peak overlooking a valley near Highway 152 – the other hiker made his way to a nearby property about one mile away and asked the residents to phone 911 for help, according to Cardoza.
“He was losing 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.”
It is unclear how the other hiker was injured; if he fell first or fell trying to rescue Bermudes, Cardoza said. Detectives have not been able to question the other hiker as he is still recovering in the hospital and is not well enough to be interviewed at this time, according to Cardoza. The relationship of the two hikers is unknown, save for the fact they set out on their hike together, Cardoza said.
At least a dozen Sheriff’s deputies, along with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, were dispatched at 4:38 p.m. Sunday 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.”
On Monday afternoon, Crime Scene Investigators, deputies, detectives and members of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team successfully resumed the perilous process of retrieving Bermudes’ body.
The effort took close to two hours and was executed with various ropes and special equipment that allowed rescue crews to scale what Cardoza described as “rough terrain” in cold, windy weather.
Cardoza did not know if Bermudes died on impact, but confirmed Bermudes was deceased when he was located Sunday evening by search and rescue personnel.
When asked if any foul play was suspected, Cardoza said it is standard protocol for CSI to collect evidence when someone dies from anything other than natural causes.
“Just because they’re out there doesn’t mean there was a crime,” he explained. “It’s a checks and balances procedure just to make sure there’s nothing suspicious.”
Detectives said the injuries found on Bermudes “are consistent with somebody who fell from a long distance like that,” according to Cardoza.
He said the identity of the other hiker will be released in a couple of days after detectives have finished their follow-up interviews.
The extraction of Bermudes’ body was staged on private property located inland from Highway 152, according to Cardoza. The nearest crossroad to the scene is Kaiser-Aetna Road, Cardoza said.
Lover’s Leap measures somewhere between 1,080 and 1,100 feet high, according to various elevation reports. The area is also a source of local legend and lore surrounding a Native American princess who leapt to her death from the mountain because of a broken heart. Â
Anyone with information on this case is being asked to contact Detective Sergeants Ryan Elder or Julian Quinonez at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
