Overview
- Inyo County Sheriff’s Office recovered a body on December 15 by helicopter from the steep, icy 99 Switchbacks around 11 a.m., officials said.
- Joseph Brambila’s family was notified after clothing on the body matched what he was believed to be wearing, but positive identification is pending with the coroner.
- Recovery efforts were postponed for weeks due to severe storms and the hazardous, remote location, requiring multiple helicopter-assisted and ground operations.
- Brambila, 21, was reported missing after a November 10 summit attempt and was the only unaccounted-for hiker on the mountain, according to the sheriff’s office.
- The circumstances of his disappearance remain unconfirmed, though prior reports described a possible shortcut or glissade, and another hiker died near the same section in October.