Body found in Sequoia National Park near search for missing hiker

A body was recovered in the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park on Saturday near where search crews have been combing the rugged terrain for a missing hiker.

The body was found about 1,000 feet above Monarch Lake, just below a portion of the Sawtooth Trail, according to National Park Service spokesman Matt Fagan.

Authorities temporarily suspended the search for missing hiker Johnnie Jean Daniel pending identification of the body.

Daniel, 65, of San Rafael, was reported missing Thursday by a family member after Daniel failed to return from a hike. She is believed to have set out Sunday from the Cold Springs Campground in the Mineral King area, located in the southern portion of the Sierra Nevada.

Three search dogs, a B3 helicopter and 11 ground search teams from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and Yosemite Search and Rescue have been looking for Daniel, who was reported to be an experienced hiker.

But conditions in the 8,000- to 13,000-foot elevations and cold temperatures from the low 30s to the mid 50s have been challenging, Fagan said.

Anyone who has seen Daniel or has information is asked to contact the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks at (888) 677-2746.

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Twitter:@carlariveralat

carla.rivera@latimes.com