Authorities confirm death of Palm Desert hiker
Authorities found a man’s body on a Palm Springs hiking trail during their search for a missing senior citizen.
Police found the body of Michael Kleinschmidt, 68, of Palm Desert Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m.
Kleinschmidt was last heard from around noon Monday after leaving the Garstin Trail Head, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.
Helicopter H-80 @chp_riv assisting on search for missing hiker Michael Kleinschmidt today pic.twitter.com/iAROTxziHw
— Palm Springs PD (@PalmSpringsPD) June 6, 2017 Check the weather conditions with your First Alert Weather Forecast for the Coachella Valley
Search and rescue teams began searching for Kleinschmidt in the area of Bogert Trail and Barona Road at 9 p.m. Monday. Rescue efforts were suspended at 3 a.m. due to poor visibility, but resumed at 8 a.m. Tuesday, police said.
At around 11:30 a.m., Palm Springs search and rescue, with the help of a California Highway Patrol helicopter, found an unresponsive man on the Garstin Trail, according to police. After some time police confirmed the body was Kleinschmidt.
According to Sgt. William Hutchinson, the body was found about 10 minutes up the trail, which ascends Smoke Tree Mountain.
The Garstin Trail is around two miles long and ascends Smoke Tree Mountain. Temperatures were in the triple digits in Palm Springs on Monday, and a high of 103 degrees was expected in the region Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
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