Stranded day hiker found dead

September 29, 1997
Massacre Canyon
1997-031

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A male and female had taken a day hike into the extremely rugged terrain of Massacre Canyon, east of Hemet. The two has separated at some point during the hike, and it was the female who after hiking out, reported her partner overdue. At 11:00pm Monday night RMRU teams began searching the bottom of the canyon. Working by headlamp, they negotiated the treacherous canyon and eventually came upon the body of the male hiker. Apparently he had fallen more than 100 feet while attempting to climb out of the canyon by way of the steep sidewall. The difficulty of the terrain prompted RMRU to request a helicopter for extraction of the body, which was accomplished early on Tuesday morning.