College freshman identified as one of three hikers found dead on California’s Mount Baldy | California
The 19-year-old college freshman has been identified as one of the hikers whose remains were found Monday at Mount Baldy in California.
The San Bernardino County sheriff announced this week that Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, a resident of Seal Beach, California, had been found on a mountain trail known as the Devil’s Backbone.
The sheriff’s department said they responded to reports that a hiker had fallen “approximately 500 feet” and that his “friend and hiking partner walked to an area with cellular service and provided GPS coordinates to assist rescuers.” Rescue teams reached the scene on foot, but air transport by helicopter was prevented due to “high winds”. An air doctor was eventually brought down and Casanova was confirmed dead, the ministry said.
Two other hikers were also found dead, but have not yet been identified, and Casanova’s cause of death has not been determined by the county coroner.
Located just east of Los Angeles and rising more than 10,000 feet, Mount Baldy is a popular hiking destination known for its challenging conditions, especially in winter.
Casanova, a student at Santa Clara University in the San Francisco Bay Area, is described by relatives as “an avid sailor and nature enthusiast,” his family told KABC.
The statement continues: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Marcus. He was a graduate of Los Alamitos High School, a freshman business school student at Santa Clara University, and an avid sailor and outdoorsman… It is difficult to explain and ask for privacy the pain and suffering we experienced as we tried to find our way.”
Starting Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service announced that seven trails will be open on Mount Baldy, including Devil’s Backbone. will be closed Until next Wednesday for the safety of the public.
The deaths occurred near where actor Julian Sands died three years ago. Sands, who starred in the films A Room with a View and Leaving Las Vegas, was reported missing after going for a walk alone in January 2023. His body was found five months later.
In January 2023, the month Sands disappeared, 15 more hikers either got lost, were injured or died on the mountain.
The same day Casanova and the other hikers were found, the San Bernardino sheriff’s department announced that it had rescued two other hikers (two men, ages 18 and 31) from another trailhead on Mount Baldy. One of the hikers was injured after falling more than 100 feet off the trail.
In October, three people were rescued near the same trail where the deceased hikers were found.
