Body of missing California hiker found near trail on El Cajon Mountain

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The search for a missing hiker in Southern California ended Tuesday after rescuers found the man’s body near a trail on El Cajon Mountain, authorities said.

The 34-year-old man had begun his hike around 9 a.m. Monday and was expected to return around 2 p.m., the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.

The hiker, however, failed to return, and his family reported him as missing to the sheriff’s department.

The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit, volunteers and a helicopter unit continued to search for the missing man overnight.

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The 34-year-old man had set out alone around 9 a.m. Monday on a trail at El Cajon Mountain in San Diego County, (FOX5 San Diego KSWB)

The missing man’s body was located the following day just before 9 a.m., officials said. 

A sheriff’s helicopter flew over the area in search of the missing man. (FOX5 San Diego KSWB)

It was unclear how the man died, a sheriff’s spokesman told FOX5 San Diego, adding that the man had all the necessary equipment with him during his hike.

Officials told FOX5 San Diego that the hiker had all the necessary equipment with him when his body was located. (FOX5 San Diego KSWB)

His cause and manner of death will be determined by a medical examiner.

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The death is the latest to occur on San Diego County trails.

Last month, a mountain biker died after helping a group of dehydrated hikers in a rugged and remote area near Carrizo Gorge in Jacumba during extreme heat.

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Last week, the outlet reported that search and rescue crews found a hiker in his 80s who appeared to have died from heat-related issues on a trail in Rancho Bernardo.