Authorities have discovered the body of a hiker who went missing on Sunday while hunting for water for his dehydrated girlfriend in California’s Gaviota state park.
Tim Sgrignoli’s corpse was discovered Thursday morning after a four-day search and rescue operation near Santa Barbara, according to a sheriff’s office spokesman.
Sgrignoli, a 29-year-old Ventury resident, and his fiancée were trekking the Gariota Hot Springs route in the Ynez mountains over the weekend when his partner began to experience mild heat exhaustion due to the sweltering temperatures.
The unidentified girlfriend of the hiker was rescued by officials on Sunday afternoon, but Sgrignoli never returned.
His cause of death has not yet been determined, however there is no suspicion of foul play and it is believed he died from heat exhaustion, dehydration, and exposure.
It occurs as a scorching heat wave continues to burn the western United States, especially California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Tuesday was the warmest day ever recorded in Sacramento, California, with temperatures reaching 116 degrees Fahrenheit.
On Sunday, Sgrignoli, a 29-year-old native of Ventury, was trekking the Gariota Hot Springs trail in the Ynez Mountains.
A search and rescue effort began on Sunday located the hiker’s body just off the trail on Thursday afternoon (pictured)
Officers of the Santa Barbara Country Fire Department reported receiving a call around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday regarding a couple in need of assistance on the Gaviota Hot Springs Trail.
Spokesperson Scott Safechuck stated that Sgrignoli remained with his injured companion until officials established that a rescue chopper had been dispatched, at which point he decided to search for water.
Mr. Sgrignoli’s body was discovered this morning by a mutual Search and Rescue team from San Mateo County, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Commander Erik Raney informed News Channel 3-12 yesterday.
“As far as difficulties with this search are concerned, the heat was the most significant factor.” For the first few days, we had record-breaking temperatures.
Wednesday morning, Sgrignoli’s family and friends expressed deep alarm over his disappearance on social media, and a big number of civilian volunteers struck the trails in a frantic bid to locate the missing hiker.
Search and rescue personnel discovered the body at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, barely twenty feet north of the Gaviota tunnel and adjacent to the Hot Springs trail.
Officers of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department reported receiving a call around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday regarding a couple in need of assistance on the Gaviota Hot Springs Trail.
Sgrignoli vanished after abandoning the Gariota Hot Springs (pictured) route in search of water for his weary fiancée.
A ‘talented’ doctor who had recently become a father for the first time died after running out of water and becoming lost while climbing in Arizona with five others in temperatures above 109F.
Monday afternoon, authorities announced that Dr. Evan Dishion, 32, died while hiking near Cave Creek.
Approximately forty miles north of Phoenix, Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies received a call at 1:25 p.m. regarding six hikers in distress on Spur Cross Trailhead Mountain.
After running out of water, the hikers proceeded on the trail before becoming lost, according to the Scottsdale Fire Department.
Dishion was among those rescued from the trail, but he died of heat exhaustion in the hospital.
Dr. Evan Dishion, who had recently become a father, passed away while hiking near Cave Creek on Monday afternoon when his group ran out of water and became lost in Arizona’s triple-digit heat.
Six hikers had to be rescued after running out of water around 40 miles north of Phoenix on Spur Cross Trailhead Mountain.
The doctor is survived by his three-month-old daughter Chloe and wife Amy Dishion.
Before settling in Phoenix and having their first child, the couple traveled throughout the country.
His wife, whom he met a decade ago through a community colleague in Oregon, remarked, “He was incredibly thoughtful, self-reflective, and clever; he just wanted to help others.” He looked at me one day and said, “I think I want to be a doctor.”
He had not spent much time with his pals since the birth of his daughter and desired to go hiking with them.
Amy found out what had happened when she received a phone call from the hospital. He had promised his wife that he would return if the weather became too hot.