SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A body believed to be that of a 50-year-old woman who disappeared during a fundraiser hike on Black Mountain was discovered Monday morning, San Diego Police said.
In a news conference late Monday morning, SDPD Lt. Daniel Meyer said a search helicopter spotted a body on the mountain at around 9:15 a.m.
According to Meyer, the body was discovered about a quarter-mile from Carmel Mountain Road and Via Rimini in Rancho Peñasquitos, and the person "nearly made it out" of the trail.
Meyer said the deceased person matched the description of Diem Nguyen. On Wednesday, the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the body was Nguyen's; however, it did not release the cause of death.
Meyer noted that family members were notified of the update in the search.
Nguyen was with a large group of people that hiked on the Nighthawk Trail as part of a fundraiser for the Build a School Foundation when she decided to continue the hike alone as others stopped halfway at around 8 a.m. Sunday, San Diego Police said.
She was seen on the livestream of hike organizer Jimmy Thai.
According to police, Nguyen contacted members of the group at around 9:30 a.m. and notified them she had reached the end of the trail.
At around 10 a.m., police said Nguyen called family members to tell them she was hot and needed water. That was the last known contact she had with anyone.
Because of the extreme heat and the trail's difficult terrain, police classified Nguyen as missing and at risk.
Thai and several other hikers returned to the area Monday morning to help try to locate Nguyen, but stayed off the trail to allow search-and-rescue sniffing dogs time to work to locate her.
@abc10news San Diego Police discovered a body believed to be 50-year-old Diem Nguyen, who disappeared during a fundraiser hike on Black Mountain Sunday. The Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the identity and cause of death. #crime #investigation #police #hiking #hiker #death #mountain #heat #summer #heatwave #hot #news #foryou #foryoupage #viral #sandiego10news ♬ original sound - ABC 10News San Diego
"We continue to do this because as the leader, I’m not just involved when things are going well, but when things go wrong. When things are going wrong. I don’t think things can go anymore wrong than this. Our team is committed to the safety of our volunteers and our supports. Rest assured that i will not rest until we cooperate with the police to find her," said Thai.
Members of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, along with volunteers on the ground and assistance from helicopters and drones, searched through the day and into Sunday evening for Nguyen, but she was not located.
Another search was launched at 7:30 a.m., but she was not found.
SDPD officials on Monday morning urged the public to stay away from the trail and surrounding areas as crews continue their search for Nguyen.
