The three hikers who died on Mt. Baldy on December 29 have been identified as 19-year-old Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova of Seal Beach, and Juan Sarat Lopez, 37, and Bayron Pedro Ramos Garcia, 36, both Guatemalan nationals said to be residing in Los Angeles.

Search and rescue crews from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to an 11:30 a.m. December 29 request from a friend of Casanova’s who “hiked to an area with cellular service and provided GPS coordinates to assist rescuers,” according to a sheriff’s department news release. The bodies of all three hikers were found during an aerial search, but efforts to recover them were hampered by high winds. Retrieval efforts made the following day were successful.

Authorities believe the hikers fell from Devil’s Backbone Trail.

U.S. Forest Service closures of several trails at Mt. Baldy remain in effect through midnight Wednesday, January 7. Affected trails include Devil’s Backbone, Mt. Baldy, Mt. Baldy Bowl, Three Ts, Icehouse Canyon, Chapman, and Ontario Peak. For up to date closure information go to fs.usda.gov/r05/angeles and search “Mt. Baldy trail closure.”

Since 2020, at least 14 people have died while hiking Mt. Baldy, and more than 100 have been rescued. Lee Fay Wang, 22, died in February 2024 and Crystal Paula Gonzalez-Landas in January 2023. Actor Julian Sands went missing at Mt. Baldy in January 2023. His remains were recovered six months later.