Found Deceased CA - Diem Le Nguyen, 50, Nighthawk Trail on Black Mountain, 23 June 2024

[mlhenn]

Woman missing after hiking on Black Mountain

Diem Le Nguyen told her friends she reached the top of Nighthawk Trail on Black Mountain at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. She hasn't been seen or made contact since.

www.cbs8.com

San Diego Police are asking for the public's help finding a woman who is missing after hiking on Black Mountain Sunday morning.

Diem Le Nguyen was hiking with a group on Nighthawk Trail at 9711 Oviedo Way, police said on Twitter. When her group stopped halfway up the trail around 8 a.m., Diem continued on alone, police said.

Le Nguyen is a 50-year-old Asian woman about 5'1, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black shirt with a pink heart on the front, black pants, a brown hat, sunglasses and a backpack.

 

[mlhenn]

Hiker missing from Black Mountain trail: San Diego police

San Diego police are asking for the public’s help in finding an at-risk woman who disappeared on Sunday morning while on a Black Mountain hiking trail.

www.nbcsandiego.com

Nguyen was hiking with a group but when they stopped halfway up around 8 a.m., she went ahead to finish the trail alone, SDPD said.

At 9:30 a.m., she contacted her group, telling them she had reached the end of the trail.

 

[Artis]

Hiker missing from Black Mountain trail: San Diego police

San Diego police are asking for the public’s help in finding an at-risk woman who disappeared on Sunday morning while on a Black Mountain hiking trail.

www.nbcsandiego.com

Nguyen was hiking with a group but when they stopped halfway up around 8 a.m., she went ahead to finish the trail alone, SDPD said.

At 9:30 a.m., she contacted her group, telling them she had reached the end of the trail.

It looks like there's more than one trail there:

https://www.alltrails.com/parks/us/california/black-mountain-open-space?ref=result-card

 

[Artis]

There sure have been a lot of missing hikers recently. Where this lady was doesn't look treacherous, in terms of landscape, and she probably does it frequently. 9:30 AM she reaches the end of the trail and she makes contact with her friends. Then what? Which trail was she one? What's the skinny on her phone - on or off? Has it been pinged? She's in a place with very good SAR. My concern would be crime or a mountain lion.

 

[kccorona]

At 9:30 a.m., she contacted her group, telling them she had reached the end of the trail.

I wonder what “end of the trail” means. On first read of that quote, I picture the trail as an “out and back” type, so her saying she reached the end meant that she looped back around to the starting point. I realize now there are several routes with the Nighthawk name, but given the specificity of the 9711 Oviedo Way address given in the article, it makes me think she made it back to that starting point, or thought she did, if she contacted her group to say she reached the end of the trail.
Very odd for the group to have contact from her (and for LE to give that info to media), but no other info after that point.
Looks like most of the routes range from 1.5-3 hours, so the 9:30am contact wouldn’t be too far off from what would be expected in terms of finishing or reaching the end of any of the routes. Of course, all depends on when they started but if the rest of the group reached the halfway point around 8, I’d guess they started around 6:30/7am.

 

[Artis]

I wonder what “end of the trail” means. On first read of that quote, I picture the trail as an “out and back” type, so her saying she reached the end meant that she looped back around to the starting point. I realize now there are several routes with the Nighthawk name, but given the specificity of the 9711 Oviedo Way address given in the article, it makes me think she made it back to that starting point, or thought she did, if she contacted her group to say she reached the end of the trail.
Very odd for the group to have contact from her (and for LE to give that info to media), but no other info after that point.
Looks like most of the routes range from 1.5-3 hours, so the 9:30am contact wouldn’t be too far off from what would be expected in terms of finishing or reaching the end of any of the routes. Of course, all depends on when they started but if the rest of the group reached the halfway point around 8, I’d guess they started around 6:30/7am.

I totally missed that it was the Nighthawk trail. Reaching the end must have meant she back at the community center. These reports don't tell us much like if she had a car parked there.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/nighthawk-trail-loop

 

[Artis]

By 3 p.m., sheriff’s helicopters, members of a search-and-rescue team and San Diego police continued to look for the missing hiker.

MSN

^^^That's the only additional info I can find from a mainstream news site.

 

[LadyL]

why did her group turn back? interesting comments about the trail and signs leading the way back

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/nighthawk-trail-loop

 

[LadyL]

I totally missed that it was the Nighthawk trail. Reaching the end must have meant she back at the community center. These reports don't tell us much like if she had a car parked there.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/nighthawk-trail-loop

I thought reaching the end meant that she got to the point where the trail turns back

 

[clorenc]

I thought reaching the end meant that she got to the point where the trail turns back

Reaching the end must have meant she back at the community center.

“San Diego police are asking for the public's help in finding an at-risk woman who disappeared on Sunday morning while on a Black Mountain hiking trail.”

Bolded by me — I take that to mean she was still on the trial, not back at the trailhead / parking lot.

I’m guessing she was actually on Nighthawk Trail to Black Mountain Summit, which is out-and-back, not a loop.

My concern is medical emergency, rattlesnake bite, etc. Just watched a video of someone running that trail. Doesn't appear to have too many trees, but the chaparral looks dense, and the trail has loose rocks. One slip could send you tumbling downhill a bit, although the trial isn’t along a steep hillside or cliff. (There are also some interesting towers at the top of the hill.)

Seems the temp was 81 degrees that morning. But no shade, so it probably felt significantly warmer in that direct sun.

This doesn’t look like a remote area at all. And the trails look pretty busy. I think they’ll find her soon, maybe with a broken ankle. Hopefully she packed plenty of water.

 

[slowpoke]

A couple of quotes from this LINK

“Police say the woman was with a group of about 100 hikers and was seen in a livestream at the top of the mountain, but had become separated from the group. She hasn’t been seen since.”

“There’s not a lot of shade on that trail, it’s just low-lying brush.”

===

I’m confused. Was it that she came with a smaller group of friends and only Diem of that group of friends continued on with the others from the larger group, and got overlooked by the others (maybe she wasn’t friends with anyone else) on the way back down the trail?

 

[clorenc]

100 hikers

This is crazy. Sounds hectic. I’d think the trail would be packed in both directions, with people going at different paces. That would seem to rule out foul play for me.

But if she fell or got lost, I’d think someone would hear her shouting?

 

[Artis]

“San Diego police are asking for the public's help in finding an at-risk woman who disappeared on Sunday morning while on a Black Mountain hiking trail.”

Bolded by me — I take that to mean she was still on the trial, not back at the trailhead / parking lot.

I’m guessing she was actually on Nighthawk Trail to Black Mountain Summit, which is out-and-back, not a loop.

Here's the map:

https://www.alltrails.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alltrails.com%2Fapi%2Falltrails%2Fv3%2Fmaps%2F176491286%2Fstatic_map%3Fsize%3D295x240%26scale%3D2%26key%3D3p0t5s6b5g4g0e8k3c1j3w7y5c3m4t8i&w=384&q=75

 

[clorenc]

Here's the map:

https://www.alltrails.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alltrails.com%2Fapi%2Falltrails%2Fv3%2Fmaps%2F176491286%2Fstatic_map%3Fsize%3D295x240%26scale%3D2%26key%3D3p0t5s6b5g4g0e8k3c1j3w7y5c3m4t8i&w=384&q=75

You don’t think it’s this trail, since she “reached the end”?

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/nighthawk-trail-to-black-mountain-summit

 

[LadyL]

A couple of quotes from this LINK

“Police say the woman was with a group of about 100 hikers and was seen in a livestream at the top of the mountain, but had become separated from the group. She hasn’t been seen since.”

“There’s not a lot of shade on that trail, it’s just low-lying brush.”

===

I’m confused. Was it that she came with a smaller group of friends and only Diem of that group of friends continued on with the others from the larger group, and got overlooked by the others (maybe she wasn’t friends with anyone else) on the way back down the trail?

100 hikers? isn't that bizarre??

 

[clorenc]

You don’t think it’s this trail, since she “reached the end”?

Actually, the trail I’m looking at takes only 2 hours to complete. That timing wouldn’t add up; if the rest of her group made it halfway at 8:00, it wouldn’t take her an hour and a half to make it to that summit. Unless she’s a really slow hiker, or the trail was jammed up by the crowd.

 

[Artis]

You don’t think it’s this trail, since she “reached the end”?

View attachment 512711

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/nighthawk-trail-to-black-mountain-summit

Oh, it could well be! I didn't see that there two different Nighthawk trails. In fact, I think this you've posted my be it because I think the article said she was seen at the summit.

 

[Artis]

Actually, the trail I’m looking at takes only 2 hours to complete. That timing wouldn’t add up; if the rest of her group made it halfway at 8:00, it wouldn’t take her an hour and a half to make it to that summit. Unless she’s a really slow hiker, or the trail was jammed up by the crowd.

Now, I don't know, lol.

 

[Artis]

100 hikers? isn't that bizarre??

It is a big group. That's two bus loads.

 

[clorenc]

100 hikers? isn't that bizarre??

Sounds like there may have been 200!

She appears in a livestream video at the summit. Several people are wearing the same T-shirt. Maybe easier to get lost in a crowd?

This is a weird one. Seems like a busy trail, clearly defined and well-maintained, surrounded by homes. This wasn’t some cross-country trek deep into wilderness. I’d bet cell service is good.