Missing Orange County hiker found dead

After nearly two days of searching, a 63-year-old Yorba Linda hiker who went missing near Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea was found dead Saturday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Jeffrey Morton left home to go hiking at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. After he failed to return, rescue crews had been scouring the wilderness . Morton often hiked in the park in the early morning hours and typically returned around sunrise, according to authorities.

The department’s Yorba Linda station sent a tweet around 5:40 p.m. Saturday, confirming the hiker’s death and saying the coroner’s division was investigating the cause. No other information has been released.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Mike Woodroof said Saturday morning that rescue crews were buoyed somewhat when bloodhounds assisting with the search got a “hit” on Morton‘s scent.

Morton’s car, a white 2004 Acura MDX SUV, was found on the corner of Brea Hills Avenue, across from the park. He did not have a cellphone, according to the Sheriff’s Department, and because he had never failed to return home after his early morning hikes, he was considered a “critical missing person.”