The body of a woman who went missing after a hike was found dead near a mountain trail Saturday, police announced.
Narineh Avakian, 37, was found near the Mount Waterman Trail around 1:30 p.m. on Friday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team and rescue teams from 17 other counties, according to a press release from the Glendale Police Department.
The area is described as being steep and having rugged terrain, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Police say they don’t suspect foul play but that an investigation remains ongoing. (RELATED: London Police Officer Arrested In Connection To Missing Woman)
Avakian was reported missing by her family on March 8, according to a press release from the Glendale Police Department. Avakian told family on March 7 that she was going on a one-day hiking trip but didn’t inform her family of the exact location.
#MISSING HIKER: 37 year old Narineh Avakian left her home in Glendale last Sunday for a day hiking trip & never returned. Detectives say her cell phone last pinged at the bottom of the Angeles Crest Hwy. Skilled SAR teams from across CA are joining the search in the snow. @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/lcP7Db3BHl
— Nicole Comstock (@ComstockNEWS) March 13, 2021
Avakian’s family said it was normal for her to go hiking both alone and with a group but that recently she had been going solo more frequently.
Avakian didn’t return from her hike, however, prompting police to launch an investigation. Avakian’s family and friends began distributing missing persons fliers and on March 11 Avakian’s abandoned vehicle was found parked at the Buckhorn Day Use Area near Angeles Crest Highway, according to police. Police noted the area had recently been impacted by heavy snowfall.
Rescue personnel from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department immediately began searching their area but were forced to stop as heavy snowfall continued.