Press-Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A San Bernardino police officer is among three backpackers who failed to return from a six-day hike in Kings Canyon National Park outside of Fresno.
Searchers from around the state have been called in to help find Officer Lanier Rogers, 25, and his friends, brothers Jordan Zeman, 25, and Jake Zeman, 23.
The men entered the trail at Road’s End on Oct. 7, embarking on a 65-mile hike at elevations ranging from 6,300 to 14,000 feet, officials said. They were scheduled to return to their vehicles on Monday afternoon.
Family members reported them missing Monday night.
Heavy rain, snow and wind hit the park last weekend and earlier this week, hampering the search that began Tuesday. But with gusts decreasing, sheriff’s deputies and park rangers have been able to use a helicopter to help scour the remote terrain.
Dogs also have been called in, said Adrienne Freeman, a Kings Canyon National Park spokeswoman.
“It’s a very, very involved search,” she said.
San Bernardino police have sent a liaison to the park to work with search personnel, said Lt. Dan Keil. He could not immediately say how long Rogers, an army veteran who lives in Victorville, has been with the department.
“They kind of got caught in the storm,” Keil said of the men.
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