A hiker was killed in Anza this weekend after going on a search for a group of lost hikers, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Sunday.
Deputies responded to the 56000 block of East State Highway 74 around 8:30 p.m. Saturday to a report of a missing hiker. The caller told deputies that four people in a group had gone for a hike early Friday, had not returned, and an additional person in the party went searching for the lost group, believing they could be in distress.
The sheriff’s Aviation Unit and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit responded to assist with the search. The lost group of hikers was later located and safely hoisted out by the aviation unit, before being transported to the Lake Hemet Mountain Station where they were medically evaluated.
The additional hiker who attempted searching for the group was subsequently found near the bottom of an approximately 150-foot rock face and was pronounced dead at the scene by RMRU personnel, according to the sheriff’s department.
The hiker’s remains was recovered from the area and the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau assumed the investigation. The identity of the hiker was withheld.
Anyone with additional information about the death was encouraged to contact Deputy Francisco Lopez at 951-791-3400.