Officers of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare call after a 38-year-old man failed to show up for work following a hiking trip on Thursday in the Sedona mountains of Arizona.
According to his roommate, the missing man was an experienced hiker who often hiked the Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock trails. His vehicle was located in the Bell Rock parking lot, and his phone was pinged to the area.
An extensive search effort was launched, including a rescue helicopter, ground patrols, K9 units, mountain bikers, and drones. Unfortunately, the search was hindered by darkness on Thursday. The search resumed the next morning with the help of the Verde Search and Rescue, who climbed up the mountain and spotted something unusual in one of the crevasses.
After reaching the spot, the hiker was found dead. It appears he had been attempting to climb the very top of the mountain, but fell in an “extremely technical” section of the Bell Rock trail.
The man, whose name is not being released, was recovered by the Back Country Search and Rescue technical ropes unit.