Joshua Tree National Park trail closed as search continues for missing hiker
The 49 Palms Oasis trial, a popular trail at Joshua Tree National Park, will be closed until noon Wednesday as the search continues for a missing Canadian man.
Paul Miller, 51, of Guelph, Ontario, was last seen around 9 a.m. July 13 when he left his hotel to hike that very same trail. Miller’s car was found in the parking lot near the trailhead that same day.
“We had breakfast and I decided I wasn’t feeling up for a hike. So he said, ‘see ya,'” Stephanie Miller, Paul’s wife told KESQ & CBS Local 2. “I figured I would see him in an hour and a half to two hours and that was it.”
Read: Exclusive interview with Miller’s wife
According to U.S. Ranger George Land, the park’s public information officer, a helicopter will fly around the trail, taking hundreds of photos of the area.
Search and rescue teams made up of over 600 searchers and 200 K-9 unit have spent more than 6,000 hours searching for him.
Miller is described as white, 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds, with salt and pepper hair, brown eyes and a large black and red tattoo over his heart. He was last seen wearing dark shorts, a black hat, sunglasses, and Hi-Tec Altitude VI WP Hiking boots, size 7.5. He also had a Camelbak hydration pack and a Nikon D5300 camera with him, according to a flyer circulated by his family.
Agencies involved in the search efforts thus far have included Joshua Tree National Park Search and Rescue, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Death Valley National Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California Rescue Dog Association, Nevada Search and Rescue, the National Park Service and Mojave Desert Preserve.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts was asked to call (760) 367-5507 or (909) 383-5651.
