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Missing Irvine hiker’s remains found on Mt. Baldy

by in News

Hikers have found the remains of an Irvine man over six months after he went missing during a snowstorm on Mt. Baldy, prompting a desperate search that led to the death of a volunteer rescuer.

A pair of hikers reported finding human remains on June 19, near the top of Fish Fork on the northwest side of Mt. Baldy at an elevation of 7,800 feet, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said in a Monday news release. Coroner’s officials confirmed Saturday, June 27, that they belonged to Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, 52. He had been missing since Dec. 8, 2019.

Friends described Mokkapati as an experienced hiker, but he became separated from his group while coming down from Mt. Baldy’s summit. He only had a day’s worth of supplies with him at the time.

More than 125 people gave their own time to comb through treacherous terrain that was covered with over four feet of fresh snow in an effort to find Mokkapati. Damien High School teacher and nine-year veteran of the West Valley Search and Rescue Team Tim Staples, 32, was one of those volunteers.

Tim Staples, 32, a member of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department volunteer search-and-rescue team, died in a fall while searching for a missing hiker on Mt. Baldy on Dec. 14, 2019. (Courtesy of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)

Staples was looking for Mokkapati, and became separated from his partner at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. He was found dead about 30 minutes later after apparently falling down an ice chute.

Staples’s death led authorities to reevaluate the rescue operation and recall search teams from the mountain. Aerial sweeps by helicopter later resumed, and ground crews returned after the snowpack melted away in May. However, Mokkapati’s whereabouts remained a mystery until his remains were found this month.


  • Teens, many of whom were students of Damien High School instructor Tim Staples, pinned a button of the popular educator and coach during a Celebration of Life Ceremony for Staples at Rancho Cucamonga’s Abundant Living Church on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Staples suffered a fatal fall while searching for missing hiker Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, 52, of Irvine in the Mt. Baldy area on Saturday, Dec. 14. Afterwards the search was suspended. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Friends, family and strangers embrace during a Celebration of Life Ceremony for Tim Staples, a 32-year-old San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department West Valley Search and Rescue Team member, at Rancho Cucamonga’s Abundant Living Church on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Staples suffered a fatal fall while searching for missing hiker Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, 52, of Irvine, in the Mt. Baldy area. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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  • Ventura County Search and Rescue Team members Josh Wade, pictured, and Anthony Rodriguez embrace during a Celebration of Life Ceremony for Tim Staples at Rancho Cucamonga’s Abundant Living Church on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Staples suffered a fatal fall while searching for missing hiker Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, 52, of Irvine in the Mt. Baldy area. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Recent wedding images dominated a slideshow of Tim Staples’ life when he tied the knot with Katie only six months ago during a Celebration of Life Ceremony for the 32-year-old volunteer Search and Rescue member with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, at Rancho Cucamonga’s Abundant Living Church on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Staples suffered a fatal fall while searching for missing hiker Sreenivas “Sree” Mokkapati, 52, of Irvine in the Mt. Baldy area on Saturday, Dec. 14. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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