Search underway for missing hiker on Black Mountain
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct the description of Black Mountain as part of northern San Diego County.
UPDATE: Search for missing hiker at Black Mountain enters second day
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Authorities are searching for a woman who went missing while hiking on Black Mountain in Rancho Penasquitos Sunday morning.
According to the San Diego Police Department, 50-year-old Diem Le Nguyen was reportedly last seen around 9:30 a.m. on Nighthawk Trail on Black Mountain, in northern San Diego County. The address to the trailhead is 9711 Oviedo Way.
Authorities have been searching all day with helicopters and a drone unit, along with the sheriff’s search and rescue team.
Police say the woman was with a group of about 100 hikers and was seen in a livestream at the top of the mountain, but had become separated from the group. She hasn’t been seen since.
Due to the extreme weather and difficulty of the trail, the police department said she is considered “missing at risk.” This comes as much of the region was under a heat advisory Sunday.
“With the heat advisory this weekend, its extremely hot, dehydration is very much a big factor for this. There’s not a lot of shade on that trail, it’s just low-lying brush. So the heat will get to you very quickly, plus the elevation gain of a couple hundred feet from here,” said Officer Darius (DJ) Jamsetjee with the San Diego Police Department.
Le Nguyen is described as an Asian woman who stands around 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 105 pounds. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black shirt with a pink heart on the front, black pants, a brown hat and sunglasses. She was also carrying a backpack.
Police say they haven’t yet found any items of hers on the trail, but neighbors have been sending in tips.
“We do have a lot of community members calling in possible sightings throughout the various neighborhoods that surround this area. Our officers through the northeastern division are investigating each of those leads and are following up to try and hopefully track down where she is,” said Officer Jamsetjee.
Roger Sunahara says he hikes this area weekly, and when he heard a hiker was missing, he came to help.
“We’re taking lots of fluids and goo’s and stuff just in case we do find her and she’s dehydrated and needs assistance. In the meantime, we have our cell phones, and there’s good reception which is great,” said Sunahara.
Sunahara says he knows the hike and area very well, and that the about 3 to 4 mile trail she was last seen on is an open area.
“As long as you’re staying on the trail you’re going to be fine. They’re pretty wide open, there’s not a lot of trees so you can’t really get lost. If you took the wrong trail and you try to get back and you slipped and tripped or something, that’s always a possible scenario, and with this heat and it’s been a while, I could see that being dangerous,” said Sunahara.
Several members of the group she was hiking with were still at the trail Sunday night.
Police are asking people who live in the surrounding areas to check your ring cameras to see if she may have wandered off.
Because of the heat this weekend and now that it’s nighttime, there is an increased sense of urgency to find the missing hiker. She has been missing for over 12 hours at this point.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts or who may have seen her on the trail is encouraged to call 911.
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