Body Of Missing Woman Found On Mt. Baldy

MT. BALDY, CA — The body of a 22-year-old woman — who went missing on Mt. Baldy on the eve of a strong winter storm earlier this month — was recovered, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed.

The remains of Lifei Huang of El Monte were first spotted on the afternoon of Feb. 10 by a citizen using a drone who contacted authorities.

Deputies and search-and-rescue team members responded to the upper San Antonio Creek Falls area where Huang's remains were believed to be but conditions on the mountain were too treacherous.

The teams stayed the night and the next morning efforts continued. At approximately 7:45 a.m., the sheriff’s Air Rescue 306 hoisted medics down to the search location where they found Huang's body.

Her remains and the search-and-rescue team members were airlifted off the mountain.

"We would like to thank all our personnel and volunteers that aided in the search, as well as the citizen that alerted U.S. Forestry," the sheriff's department said.

Huang set out on a solo hike at about 2 p.m. Feb. 4. The last contact anyone had with her was about two hours later, according to the sheriff's department.

At 11:14 p.m. Feb. 4, she was reported missing and at approximately 2:30 a.m. Feb. 5, the sheriff’s West Valley Search and Rescue team started looking for her.

The search continued into the next day, but extremely heavy snowfall and avalanche risks hindered the efforts so crews were pulled off the mountain, according to the sheriff's department.

Crews searched as weather permitted. The efforts coincided with a strong winter storm that brought significant snowfall and freezing temperatures on the mountain.

Each winter season, search-and-rescue teams are called to Mt. Baldy to find missing hikers and others who come to the popular destination to enjoy outdoor recreational activities.

The sheriff's department strongly urges everyone to stay away from the mountain during winter storms.

During the search efforts for Huang, the sheriff's department announced, "The weather has effectively buried the mountain in snow and it is highly likely hikers will get into trouble. Resources are stretched to their limits and hikers who get lost may have to wait long periods of time before help is available."

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