Body believed to be lost hiker recovered from Mt. Baldy
Medics and a coroner’s investigator from Los Angeles County were dropped by helicopter in an area northwest of the summit known as Fish Fork to retrieve a body thought to be that of Michelle Yu, the 49-year-old experienced hiker from Venice who was last seen Sunday.
Although clothing and physical descriptions match Yu, a positive identification and cause of death have not been determined by the coroner, said Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Yu had planned to hike Baldy Peak and then walk to Baldy Notch, where she intended to take a ski lift down the mountain. U.S. Forest Service officials found Yu’s vehicle near Mt. Baldy and Falls roads. Dozens of search-and-rescue volunteers from San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Diego counties had searched for Yu for days.
Authorities speculated that fog and poor conditions at the peak might have confused the hiker.
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