Hiker Found Dead at Base of 150-Foot Drop

Hiker Caroline Meister, 30, was found dead Friday, four days after venturing into the wilderness in Carmel Valley, California, reports NBC News. She left the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, where she was living and working, around 10am on March 18 but failed to return that same day. Members at the center contacted the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, noting Meister had not planned to be gone long and was "not prepared for an overnight hike." That triggered a search involving helicopters, drones, dogs, and dozens of volunteers.

Early on, searchers noted a point of interest: a waterfall that drops off the Tassajara Cut-off trail, part of the Ventana Wilderness Trail network. "That fall was one of the critical incidents of that trail as far as it being a danger," Carlos Pina of Monterey County Search and Rescue said, per NBC. Searchers rappelled down the steep, 150-foot drop Friday before discovering Meister deceased "at the base of the waterfall," Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said, per People. She noted Meister's injuries were "consistent with falling down a cliff." An autopsy will be performed. Meister's parents noted their daughter was a "very experienced" hiker and "very familiar with the area." (More California stories.)