YOSEMITE – The search for a missing Mariposa man ended tragically yesterday when his body was discovered at the foot of a popular rock climbing feature known as the Rostrum, located just west of Yosemite Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.
On Saturday, Apr. 12, CHP Helicopter 40 (H-40) received a request from Yosemite National Park Dispatch to assist with a search for a missing person.
According to the CHP, the initial missing person report was broadcast the evening of Friday, Apr. 11, when the family of the 36-year-old man reported that he was suicidal and likely to be going to Yosemite.
Park personnel located the subject’s vehicle parked and abandoned on Highway 41 in the Rostrum turn-out area. H-4O searched the area off the rock face and after approximately 90 minutes, the subject’s body was located in the rocks at the bottom of the Rostrum.
Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSÀR) personnel made their way on foot to where the subject had been spotted and determined that he was deceased.
The distance from the top of the Rostrum to his location is approximately 1,000 feet. Due to strong variable winds, and the time factor for ground personnel to respond and move the body to a location where a hoist could be safely accomplished, it was decided to complete the hoist on Sunday morning.
H-40 hoisted the subject out of the scene and transported him to El Capitan Meadow where he was turned over to Yosemite personnel.
