California hiker found dead days after setting out to get help for heat-stricken girlfriend
The body of 29-year-old Tim Sgrignoli was found on Sept. 8, 2022 in Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara Count. The hiker went missing after he went to seek help for his girlfriend who was suffering from heat exhaustion.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A 29-year-old hiker was found dead near the California coast, after he went out to seek help for his girlfriend who was suffering from heat exhaustion last week.
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Tim Sgrignoli of Ventura went missing on Sept. 4, in Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County.
He had left his heat-stricken girlfriend along a mountain trail in the Gaviota Peak area to find water and to get her help.
Rescue crews managed to locate the girlfriend and brought her to safety, but they could not find Sgrignoli. An intense search was launched.
Search dogs, special utility vehicles, and drones were used to comb the area for several days, amid temperatures that had soared into the 80s and 90s. Like the Bay Area, the region was experiencing extreme heat conditions.
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The search came to and end on Thursday, when sheriff’s officials announced that Sgrignoli’s body had been located.
"The search for missing hiker, 29-year-old Tim Sgrignoli of Ventura ended at 9:29am… he was found deceased between Trespass Trail and Hwy 101," officials shared on Twitter. There was no word on how long the body had been there.
Investigators said that foul play was not suspected and that heat was likely a contributing factor.
As of Tuesday, the coroner’s bureau had not released an official cause of death.
This story was reported from Oakland, Calif.