SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - A body was found on El Cajon Mountain overnight in the area where a hiker went missing Saturday afternoon, a sheriff's deputy confirmed.
San Diego Sheriff's Sergeant Richard George confirmed to News 8 that the body was that of missing hiker, 50-year-old Thomas Mark Castiglia.
Castiglia had met with a group at the mountain around 8:30 a.m. intending to hike to Lunch Rock, according to the Sheriff's Department.
A little more than two hours later, Castiglia told his fellow hikers that he would be going at a slower pace than the rest of the group, and told them not to wait up for him. He was reported missing after he failed to return from the trail head by 2:45 p.m.
Sheriff's deputies and nearly 60 search-and-rescue volunteers searched the area throughout the night with the help of a helicopter, and eventually located a body matching Castiglia's description near the base of a sheer cliff, a news release said.
The County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene around 7 a.m., Sheriff's Lt. Karla Menzies said, and the body was identified as Castiglia.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office was working to determine how the hiker died.
Sergeant George said it appeared Castiglia had fallen approximately 200 feet.
Friends, co-workers and family said they are in shock and that Castiglia died doing one of his favorite things - hiking.
Castiglia's wife reported on social media that he loved hiking and was excited to head out Saturday. She went on to say after three miles he started to struggle and decided to stay behind and rest.
The victim's friends called him "an experience hiker" and on social media they have been remembering him as a smart, creative and selfless member of the tech community.
Local nonprofit San Diego .Net User Group tweeted that Castiglia was one of its founders and sent a message of support to his loved ones.