UPDATE: Missing Hiker Brian Yang – Recovery Mission
At 1353 hours of July 21st, hikers in the Mt Whittier area called Cowlitz 911 to report finding a hiker on a ridge below them. The subject was unresponsive and was wearing clothing similar to that of missing hiker Brian Yang. Search and Rescue staff responded to the area and confirmed the subject, whom they were able to identify as Mr. Yang, was deceased. Mr. Yang appeared to have fallen about two hundred feet down a very steep embankment.
Mr. Yang’s family had responded to the command post during the search and have been notified of his passing. The family is not available for comment at this time.
Due to the large scale of this operation, the agencies involved in the search will be on scene for several more hours as searchers return to the command post.