Heartbreaking final moments of hiker who died searching for his missing friends who were later found

A HIKER who went to rescue his missing friends was tragically found dead at the bottom of a 150-foot rock.

The hiker was discovered by sheriffs who were responding to a call about four other missing people.

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Four hikes disappeared in Riverside County, CaliforniaCredit: Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit
 

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Rescue crews found the four hikers but discovered another deadCredit: Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit
 

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The identity of the victim was not revealedCredit: Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit
On January 17 at 8:26 pm, officers with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in California arrived at a mountainous region of the county, according to a press release.

The deputies were responding to a report of four people who had left for a hike earlier in the day but had not returned.

A fifth hiker in their group left to go search for them, believing their friends were in danger.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit joined to help search for the missing hikers.

After responding to the call, the aviation unit safely located the initial missing group of four hikers and transported them to the Lake Hemet Mountain Station for medical evaluation.

However, the fifth person who went searching for them was found dead near the bottom of a 150-foot rock face.

The deceased hiker’s personal information has not been publicly released.

RMRU pronounced the hiker dead at the scene.

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A release by the sheriff’s office stated that the investigation is ongoing and no additional information would be available at this time.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.

The death comes just weeks after a 19-year-old hiker plunged to his death off a 500ft drop at Mount Baldy.

The hiker was walking along the Devil’s Backbone.

When rescue crews arrived at the scene, they found two other bodies at the bottom of the cliff.

All hiking trails in the area were closed for two weeks to “prevent further loss of life,” according to local officials.

Press release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

On January 17, 2026, at 8:26 p.m., deputies responded to the area of the 56000 block of East State Highway 74, Anza, regarding a missing hiker. The caller reported four subjects in their group left for a hike early that morning and was concerned they had not returned. Believing they could be in distress, an additional subject in their party went searching for them. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU) were requested and responded to assist. The Aviation Unit located the initial group of lost hikers and safely hoisted them out. The group was transported to the Lake Hemet Mountain Station, where they were medically evaluated.

The Aviation Unit continued the search for the additional hiker and located that hiker near the bottom of an approximately 150-foot rock face. RMRU personnel reached the hiker and pronounced the hiker deceased at the scene. The Riverside Coroner’s Bureau was contacted, and they responded to assume the investigation. RMRU personnel assisted in recovering the decedent from the remote mountainous area. The identity of the deceased hiker will not be released at this time. This investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged contact Deputy Francisco Lopez at the Hemet Sheriff Station at (951) 791–3400.

The trails have since reopened, but locals are now calling for the trails to close before the weather is expected to get bad.

“People look out the window, and when it’s a perfectly clear blue sky like today, they say, ‘Wow, that’s amazing, I want to go play in the mountains,’” Rob Klusman, the operations leader of the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, told The Guardian.

“We have a lot of people who don’t have much experience in the mountains in general, who don’t realize [Mount Baldy] requires a whole different set of skills and equipment.