IBNS-CMEDIA: The body of an Indian-origin doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), who went missing during a solo hiking trip in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada, has been recovered, according to local media reports.
The student, identified as Vikram Mubayi, was hiking in the Big Pine Lakes area of Inyo National Forest and last contacted his family at 8:37 p.m. on August 1, according to a Reddit post shared by a family member.
Mubayi’s body was recovered on August 3 by the California Highway Patrol, the Daily Nexus reported.
After he was reported missing, a Reddit post by his sibling described him as follows: “My brother Vikram is 6’3″, 170 lbs, dark hair, and has been out of contact since 8:30 p.m. yesterday in the Big Pine Lakes area in the Eastern Sierra.”
Local authorities launched an extensive search after Mubayi failed to return from his hike, prompting his family to report him missing to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a self-written biography, Mubayi was born and raised in Hong Kong. He also described himself on the Illini 4000 website as a senior studying chemical engineering at the University of Illinois before pursuing his doctoral studies at UCSB.
Authorities have not disclosed the circumstances surrounding his death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
