Three people were found dead Monday evening in rugged terrain near Mount Baldy after rescue crews responded to a report that a hiker had tumbled down a remote mountainside, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The department said it received the initial call at about 11:30 a.m. Monday from someone who reported the hiker fell roughly 500 feet and who provided GPS coordinates after reaching an area with cellular service.
Authorities said the rescue effort moved toward the Devil’s Backbone Trail, where the three bodies were later discovered. The sheriff’s department said Mount Baldy rises more than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) east of Los Angeles.
A helicopter crew spotted the injured hiker and two other people, but strong winds prevented the aircraft from landing. The department said a second landing attempt was also unsuccessful because of winds.
As the search continued, a medic was eventually hoisted down from a helicopter, and the department said the medic found three people dead at about 7:30 p.m.
The sheriff’s department said it had not released the identities of the three hikers as of Tuesday and that the cause of the deaths was not immediately known.
Southern California had been hit by strong Santa Ana winds, with isolated gusts reaching 70 mph (112 kph) in some areas, the department said.
The deaths occurred in the wilderness near where actor Julian Sands died three years ago. Sands, whose body was found five months after he was reported missing following a solo hike in January 2023, had starred in “A Room With a View” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”