La Verne Search & Rescue Team Member Dies On Mount Baldy

LA VERNE, CA — A beloved La Verne teacher, newlywed and volunteer search and rescue team member died over the weekend searching for a missing Irvine man on the slopes of Mount Baldy. On Monday, a prayer service was planned at a La Verne Catholic school in honor of Timothy Staples and his family.

Staples, 32, died Saturday when he became separated from his partner, officials say. A rescue helicopter later discovered him unresponsive on ice and snow.

Medics lowered to assist in his retrieval, declared Staples dead at the scene, a San Bernardino Sheriff's Department spokesperson said. The cause and circumstances surrounding this incident are unknown, and investigators are working to determine what occurred, according to release.

"Tim Staples gave his life in the line of duty and did so voluntarily," friend Michelle Walsh said in a GoFundMe fundraiser established for his family. "Tim dedicated nine years to the West Valley Search and Rescue team and assisted in numerous missions over the years. As our motto states, 'So others may live.' Tim will be greatly missed by all who knew, worked, and served with him."

In just nine hours, the fundraiser has already raised over $12,000 for Staples' widow.

In the memorial of candles, flowers and tearful sentiments, a fellow volunteer search and rescue team member left behind a compass, along with a patch from Montrose Search and Rescue.

I leave a compass at the memorial for our hero and SAR brother Tim Staples to remind us to stay the course that he set for us. “So that others may live”. @LASDHQ @sbcountysheriff @WestValleySAR pic.twitter.com/L7lp9XPjfw
— Mike Leum (@Resqman) December 15, 2019

Staples was a teacher at Damien High School in La Verne, an all-male Catholic school in San Gabriel Valley.

The school announced on Facebook the prayer service will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Damien Event Center.

"The Damien High School community is devastated by the loss of a beloved and devoted member of our social science and English faculty," the school said in a statement posted on Facebook. "Tim Staples was a newly- married faculty member and a Damien class of 2006 graduate ... He was a favorite teacher among his students. Tim also coached cross country and track and field."

The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department said it was reevaluating the search operations. Meanwhile, the search remained suspended for 52-year-old Sreenivas "Sree" Mokkapati of Irvine, who was hiking with a group from the Village at Bear Flats to the Mt. Baldy Summit on the morning of Dec. 8, according to the sheriff's department. At some point, Mokkapati became separated from the group.

The last person to see him, Justin Williams, told NBC4 he wished he would have said Sree to turn around. "I keep reliving that moment in my mind," Williams said. "He muttered something, I didn't quite hear what he said, and then he just kept walking."

Search and rescue volunteer teams from San Bernardino, Tulare, Fresno, San Mateo, and Los Angeles counties have searched the mountain for any sign of Sree or his direction of travel. Thus far, he has not been found, and there has been no sign of his path up the mountain.

"Mr. Mokkapati is considered an experienced hiker and has hiked Mount Baldy many times," the SBCSD said. "He was prepared for a day hike and had limited supplies."

Mokkapati was last seen wearing a gray "puffy" jacket and gray pants.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts was urged to contact the Fontana Sheriff's Station at 909-453-5392, or 909-677-9436. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.

At a Wednesday night candlelight vigil, Sree's son, Shravan Mokkapati, said it was "heartbreaking" to find out that his father was not among four other stranded or injured hikers that rescue teams came across during the day.

The closure of some areas of Mount Baldy was in effect until Dec. 31 or until the search and rescue operation ends, according to the SBCSD.

To lend assistance to Staples' family, please visit the GoFundMe page established in his memory.

GoFundMe is a Patch Promotional Sponsor.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.