A California climber who went missing and tragically died after a fall while descending Mount Morgan had sent a text shortly before the incident. Brian Seibert, 53, messaged around 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, indicating he was heading back down from the 13,000-foot peak. However, he suffered a fatal fall and was found more than three days later after tumbling off a cliff ledge at the base of Grand Central Couloir.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team was alerted on Monday, October 5, when Seibert failed to return by the expected time of 11:30 p.m.
Local investigators and experts utilized photo topographic matching, cell phone forensics, and even a K-9 search of Seibert’s vehicle to gather information.
Rescue teams employed a Cal Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter to drop rescuers at an altitude of 12,500 feet to continue the search efforts on Monday.
On Tuesday, October 6, rescuers identified an anomaly from the air in the Grand Central Couloir. This was later verified to be Seibert’s location by another crew following his tracks.
Due to the difficult terrain between Seibert’s spot and the nearest possible landing area, it was assessed that a recovery would not be feasible that day. His body was ultimately recovered early Wednesday by a helicopter from Yosemite National Park.
