El Monte woman missing after hike on Mt. Baldy found dead

The 22-year-old woman missing for a week after heading out for a hike in the San Bernardino Mountains in the midst of a powerful storm was found dead on Sunday. 

Lifei “Ada” Huang, of El Monte, was last seen on Feb. 4 at around 2:30 p.m. when she headed out for a hike on Mt. Baldy while an atmospheric river drenched Southern California in heavy rain. She wasn’t heard from after 4:30 p.m. 

Authorities began their search hours later, early Monday morning, but were unable to find her due to the treacherous conditions created by the storm and the mountain’s terrain. 

A days-long search proved unsuccessful until San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies said that someone flying a drone in the area believes that they spotted Huang’s body on Saturday at around 3:30 p.m.

“Deputies and search and rescue team members responded to the upper San Antonio Creek Falls area but were unable to hike to the spot where Ms. Huang was believed to be, due to the conditions on the mountain,” a statement from SBCSD said. 

At around 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sheriff’s Air Rescue 360 hoisted medics to the location, where they found Huang deceased. They were unable to perform an aerial search the night prior due to high winds in the area. Team members stayed in the area overnight, however, to preserve the scene, deputies noted.

Hikers are urged to stay away from mountain activities during inclement weather, which creates unsafe conditions. 

“The weather has effectively buried the mountain in snow and it is highly likely hikers will get into trouble. Resources are stretched to their limits and hikers who get lost may have to wait long periods of time before help is available,” SBCSD officials said. 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Fontana Sheriff’s Station at (909) 356-6767.