The State - News from June 20, 1988

A man missing for nearly two weeks has been found dead in the ruins of an abandoned and collapsed gold mine near Death Valley, authorities said. Volunteer rescue workers who for four days dug 25 feet into the side of a crumbling mountain found the body of Kevin Tate, 33. Inyo County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Lucas said Tate, a 14-year resident of Trona, was found curled in a fetal position “like he had gone to sleep.” Tate was last seen June 7 and was renting a house about a half mile from the mine. “A lot of people who live around there explore the mines,” Lucas said. “There are a lot of old holes in the mountains like this. People go into them all the time, and they just have to be careful.” Lucas said an autopsy would be performed but it was believed that Tate suffocated.