Body Found on Black Mountain Believed to Be Missing Hiker Diem Le Nguyen

Search-and-rescue teams looking for a hiker who got lost on Black Mountain over the weekend found a body believed to be that of the missing woman Monday.

Diem Le Nguyen, 50, set out with a large group of people on a hillside hiking path off Oviedo Way in Rancho Penasquitos at about 8 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego Police Department.

After getting roughly halfway up the mountain, Nguyen’s companions decided to turn around and head back down, but she opted to continue on toward the peak, SDPD public affairs Lt. Dan Meyer told reporters.

Later in the morning, a family member got a telephone call from Nguyen “expressing distress,” Meyer said.

“She was extremely hot and needed water,” the lieutenant said.

Police and sheriff’s personnel searched for Nguyen on foot and aboard patrol helicopters, also making use of service dogs and drones. The effort continued through the afternoon and evening before wrapping up for the night at about 1 a.m. Monday, Meyer said. The search resumed about six hours later.

A helicopter crew spotted the body at about 9 a.m. Monday, roughly a quarter-mile from the intersection of Carmel Mountain Road and Via Rimini.

Based on the proximity to nearby neighborhoods, it appeared that Nguyen “nearly made it out,” Meyer said.

The county Medical Examiner’s Office took custody of the body for autopsy purposes.

–City News Service