Body found of suspected Vietnamese-American missing while climbing in California

Diem Le Nguyen (50 years old) went hiking with a group of people at Black Mountain in San Diego, California (USA) on June 23. After going about halfway, her group decided to turn back down but she continued to head towards the top of the mountain.

Ms. Diem Le Nguyen

The woman then called a family member saying she was having an emergency, the Times of San Diego quoted police officer Dan Meyer as saying the victim said she was "extremely hot and needed water."

Police launched a search, involving helicopters, dogs and drones. The search was suspended at 1 a.m. on June 24 and resumed about six hours later.

At around 9am on June 24, a helicopter crew spotted the body, just a few hundred metres from an intersection. Mr Meyer said the victim had almost escaped as the body was not far from a nearby residential area.

Mr. William Do, a relative of Ms. Diem Le, said he heard the bad news while searching for the victim. "I still can't believe it. It's really sad because losing a loved one is not easy," Mr. Do said, adding that the victim used to work in the US Navy, was divorced and had three grown children.

According to NBC San Diego, Diem Le Nguyen was climbing the Night Hawk Trail with about 150 people to raise funds for the Build a School Foundation, which builds schools for children. Jimmy Thai, the event organizer, live-streamed the event on social media. In the video, Diem Le is seen standing at the top of the mountain with many others. She got separated from the group on the way down, and the body of a woman, believed to be Diem Le, was found on another climbing route.

The hike took place at the beginning of San Diego’s hot season. Thai said he provided enough water and food for the group. The route was marked with white chalk.

The local medical examiner has received the body for examination.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tim-thay-thi-the-nghi-nguoi-my-goc-viet-mat-tich-khi-leo-nui-tai-california-185240627093759888.htm