Missing hiker's body found in Sequoia National Park
A local hiker was found dead in the Sequoia National Park the day after he separated from a hiking group, according to officials.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the hiker," said Chief Ranger David Fox in a statement. "We encourage everyone to take extra precautions and remain vigilant while enjoying the beauty of these National Parks. Safety must always come first.”
On Saturday, July 12, Drew Hall, 36, from Visalia, California, which is around 35 miles southwest of the national park, was hiking with a group through the Sequoia National Park in California when he separated, according to a news release posted to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks' Facebook page.
He planned to meet up with the group after they separated, but when he didn't return within the expected time frame, family members reported him missing.
Park rangers and other supporting agencies started searching for him on Sunday, July 13, but friends and family who were searching the area found Hall's body at 3 p.m. local time, according to the national park.
Hall "was described as fit and active but was hiking in very rugged terrain," the news release stated.
The park did not release the cause of death.
Remembering Drew Hall
A GoFundMe was created to help the family with costs associated with Hall's death. It has raised $22,315 of its $35,000 goal. Over 220 people have donated.
"Drew was an amazing family man and a great basketball coach," the GoFundMe stated.
Hall was a PE teacher for the Visalia Unified School District and the head basketball coach for Golden West High School.
He leaves behind his wife and two young daughters.
Five people have died at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks this year
Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are separate parks, but they are run jointly.
Hall's death is the fifth to occur in the parks this year, according to the news release.
“This has been a challenging year for our search and rescue teams,” said Fox.
The parks' emergency personnel have been deployed to 60 search and rescue incidents, with five happening the same weekend as Hall's disappearance.
Woman still missing after disappearing in May from Sequoia National Park
Jomarie Calasanz, 26, is still missing after she was swept away in Kaweah River near Paradise Creek Bridge in Sequoia National Park while trying to save her older sister, Joanne, on May 25, reported the Visalia Times Delta, a part of the Paste BN Network.
She and her family drove up to the park from Los Angeles for a Memorial Day weekend outing.
A nine-day, multi-agency search followed Calasanz's disappearance, but dangerous river conditions forced officials to scale back efforts.
“Jomarie could still be located within the park,” officials said in May. “But divers are unable to complete an underwater search of the river.”
On Saturday, July 12, Juan Heredia, a volunteer diver of the Angels Recovery Dive Team, attempted to locate Calasanz in a renewed search. On Monday, however, he said he could not find her after searching the five to seven miles of the water for two days.
“It’s heartbreaking to come out of the water after 8 hours each day and tell the family I couldn’t bring her home,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.
Contributing: Sheyanne N Romero, Elizabeth Roberts, Angelaydet Rocha, Visalia Times-Delta; Meade Trueworthy, Special to the Times-Delta
Julia is a trending reporter for Paste BN. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com