Hiker vanished days ago in California forest. A body has now been found, cops say
Rescuers have found a body they believe is that of a man who vanished on a California hike, police said.
Colin Walker, 53, an “avid hiker,” was last seen at a trailhead in Monrovia on July 15, South Pasadena police said, according to a previous McClatchy News report. His car was found parked nearby, and surveillance video showed him on his way to the trailhead, police said.
While searching for Walker, police said a body was found in the Lower Clamshell Area in the Angeles National Forest, according to a July 26 news release.
“Based upon the location of the discovery and property found at the scene, SPPD investigators are reasonably certain the deceased is the lost hiker,” police said, adding the county coroner’s office will confirm the identity of the body.
Friends took to Facebook to mourn Walker, who was a guitarist in the Brazilian ensemble Samba Society, with “incomparable sadness.”
“There is so much to say about this beautiful, gentle man, but I am truly at a loss for words at the moment,” the ensemble wrote on Facebook.
A friend of Walker’s said on Facebook they could not think of “a remotely negative thing about him.”
“Colin was not only a phenomenal player of violão sete cordas (7 string nylon guitar) but simply a kind, good person, wonderful friend, husband, and father,” the friend wrote.
Others called Walker a “hero” for those “in the world of Brazilian music.”
“Colin’s loss is felt by so many. … Colin was a truly kind, thoughtful, consistent and together man,” a friend wrote. “You will never be forgotten.”
Monrovia is about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published July 28, 2023 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Hiker vanished days ago in California forest. A body has now been found, cops say."
