A missing 71-year-old hiker from Cerritos apparently stranded or lost in the Thousand Palms Canyon Preserve was found dead Sunday morning, officials said.
Emergency crews were called about the hiker about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, according to Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Angel Ramos.
Riverside County sheriff's air crews and rescue teams were joined by San Bernardino and Los Angeles county sheriff's deputies, as well as Orange County, Sierra Madre and Antelope Valley search and rescue teams, Ramos said.
Temperatures in the area rose to more than 120 degrees but crews searched throughout the night for the hiker, Ramos wrote in a news release.
He was by spotted by an air crew about 10 a.m. Sunday in a wash, a quarter-mile east of Coachella Valley Preserve Visitor Center; ground crews hiked to the man and determined he was dead, officials said.
He was later identified as Alan Hogenauer, 71, of Cerritos. Relatives told authorities that the victim was with his wife and son -- boh of whom decided to turn back during their hike because of the heat -- but Hogenauer wanted to go ahead, according to mydesert.com. After they left, the victim called them for help, saying he needed water. When the family was unable to locate him, they contacted authorities for help.
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Sheriff's officials every year and every season caution hikers to bring plenty of water, dress properly, bring a fully charged cell phone and leave an itinerary behind for family to be able to track them.
Every year, hikers are lost, killed and injured in various parts of the county.
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