Body Found In Tuber Canyon

On the afternoon of May 29th, rangers received a report of a 2008 Toyota sedan that had been parked and unattended for several days at Wildrose Wash near the entrance to Tuber Canyon, a remote area on the west side of the park. Ranger Ryan Gallagher responded and conducted a hasty search of high probability areas near the car, but without success.  Further investigation showed that the Toyota was a long-term rental that had been rented to a 65-year-old man from Santa Ana, California. The car was not overdue and there were no missing persons reports in NCIC or CLETS issued on the missing man. Ranger-pilot Steve Mazur flew the area in the park’s Cessna 182, with district ranger Ed Derobertis acting as an observer. They searched until dark without locating the missing man. The search resumed the next morning. Personnel began working the search area at first light, and a California Highway Patrol  helicopter and crew were scheduled to join them shortly thereafter if needed. One of the search teams soon found a body in Tuber Canyon about a quarter mile from the spot where the Toyota was parked. The Inyo County Sheriffs Office was notified and assumed control of the case. Investigators believe that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck, but the case remains open pending investigation by the Inyo County Coroner’s Office.