UPDATE: The tragic deaths of two hikers on Mt. Baldy have been confirmed, with officials identifying the men as Juan Sarat Lopez, 37, and Bayron Pedro Ramos Garcia, 36, both Guatemalan nationals residing in Los Angeles. Their identities were revealed on January 3, 2024, following a harrowing search operation that began on December 29.
Authorities from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported that the men fell from the notoriously perilous Devil’s Backbone trail, likely on the same day they were found. Sadly, they were discovered alongside another victim, Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, a 19-year-old college freshman from Seal Beach, who had fallen approximately 500 feet.
The search and rescue operation was initiated around 11:30 a.m. on December 29 after deputies received a distress call about an injured hiker. The caller, a companion of Casanova, had left the site to seek cell phone service and provided rescuers with GPS coordinates. Search teams responded promptly, but strong winds impeded helicopter rescues.
During aerial searches, deputies identified the injured hiker, later confirmed as Casanova, along with Lopez and Ramos Garcia. Tragically, all three men were pronounced dead that evening after an air medic was lowered to the scene from a Los Angeles County helicopter.
The circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation, and it is unclear if Lopez and Ramos Garcia had any connection to Casanova. The heartbreaking loss of these young lives has sent ripples through their communities, emphasizing the dangers of hiking in such treacherous terrains.
As investigations continue, authorities urge hikers to exercise extreme caution on the Devil’s Backbone trail and other similar routes. More updates will follow as this story develops.
