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Palo Alto Hiker Found Dead After Going Missing In Sunol Regional Wilderness

SUNOL (CBS SF) -- A 70-year-old Palo Alto man, who went hiking in the Sunol Regional Wilderness and was reported missing Wednesday, has been found dead.

East Bay Regional Parks spokesperson Carolyn Jones said they made the discovery on Thursday afternoon.

"Search and rescue crews in a helicopter saw an arm sticking out of a rock outcropping, or possibly a cave," Jones said.  "The helicopter landed and crews were able to determine that it was a deceased person."

Irwin 'Don' Meyers
Irwin "Don" Meyers was found dead in the Sunol Regional Wilderness on April 16, 2015. (CBS)

Irwin "Don" Meyers had left his home at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to take a hike on the Maguire Peak Trail and planned to return for a late lunch, said East Bay Regional Park District police.  Meyers was reported missing by his partner at 6:50 p.m. after he never arrived home. Police said his car was found off of Welch Creek Road near the Upper Maguire Peak Trail entrance.

Crews scoured the area until early this morning, then resumed the search early Thursday morning.  Jones said the circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear.

"The coroner's office will be doing an investigation as to the cause of death.  It does not look like foul play," Jones said. "We can't tell at this point if this person had fallen, or maybe something happened and they crawled to this spot, or fell from a higher elevation."

Meyers had hiked the trail before.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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