SAN DIEGO (CBS 8/CNS) – A body believed to be that of a missing hiker was found in Anza-Borrego Springs Saturday, according to sheriff's deputies.
Family members tell News 8 they lowered a camera into a crevice in the mud caves, in the area where Guillermo Pino Junior, a UCSD psychology student, disappeared on Easter Sunday. When they raised the camera back up and reviewed the footage, they could see a body, with clothing that matched what Pino was wearing the day he disappeared. They say, though the body was decomposed, they could still distinguish some facial features.
The website findpinojr.com reported Pino's body was discovered about 5 p.m. Saturday in "Hidden Cave," the area he was last seen April 8. He disappeared after telling the hiking group he wanted to rest his feet and enjoy the view of the desert, according to the website.
Pino, 24, had been rope climbing and exploring the Arroyo Tapiado area of the expansive park while exploring caves with his family, according to San Diego County sheriff's officials. Since then, searchers have worked their way through desert caves, tunnels and gorges in hopes of finding Pino alive.
Pino had no known medical conditions was described as a fairly experienced hiker, although at the time of his disappearance he was exploring the rugged territory without shoes, water, food, a flashlight or a cell phone, sheriff's officials said.
Arroyo Tapiado is a popular recreation area, made up of mud caves and other unusual formations, about midway between Scissors Crossing and Ocotillo in the arid East County.