Body of missing backpacker found in Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The body of a 32-year-old man from San Francisco who was backpacking in Desolation Wilderness has been found.

On June 28, 2022, at about 1:40 p.m., the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) received a report of a tent that had been abandoned and blown over near Lake Aloha, southwest of Lake Tahoe. The reporting party said they were concerned due to the condition of the tent and personal belongings that were at the campsite. The items found included a USFS Wilderness Permit, and a driver’s license belonging to Jia Huang.

EDSO contacted Huang's family members, who stated Huang was known to camp alone and planned to return home from his trip on June 29. Based on reports from other hikers in the area, Huang’s tent appeared to be abandoned overnight from June 27 to June 28.

Huang's sister, Lai Wong, took to social media, asking those who had been hiking or camping in the area or along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) if they'd seen Jia. Her brother, a senior data scientist with PG&E, had left on a solo backpacking trip from Mt. Tallac on Wednesday, June 22. Wong also said her brother did not know how to swim.

EDSO continued their investigation by pinging and sending emergency texts to Huang’s phone, both with negative results. After receiving the first report, the EDSO Office of Emergency Services utilized air resources in an attempt to locate Huang in the areas near Lake Aloha. Flight crews also landed and checked the campsite and immediate area with negative results.

Based on the abandoned tent and the circumstances, EDSO entered Huang as a missing person and requested the EDSO Search and Rescue Team (SAR) for further assistance.

On the morning of June 29, EDSO SAR assembled to conduct a ground search for Huang. Teams located gear close to the shore of Lake Aloha and requested air support. With a further aerial search in that specific area, a person was located beneath the water. The decedent was recovered by the EDSO Dive Team and was transported to the South Lake Tahoe Airport. The decedent was then positively identified as Jia Huang.

The cause of death was determined to be drowning and the manner of death is accidental.