San Diego

Missing Hiker Found Alive in Joshua Tree National Park After 4 Days

A hiker missing in Joshua Tree National Park for four days was found alive Thursday, according to the park's search and rescue team.

Joshua Tree Search and Rescue (JOSAR) said that 54-year-old Paul Hanks was injured after falling approximately 20 feet near the Maze Loop.

He was conscious and alert when JOSAR members found him and he was taken to the hospital.

The park said that Hanks left San Diego for the grounds on Sunday to hike. A search and rescue effort was launched after Hanks failed to check into his hotel in Joshua Tree that night, or his hotel in Las Vegas the next.

His truck was later found at the Maze Loop parking lot.

In October, the bodies of two hikers missing in the park for three months were found embracing each other under a tree near the same trail loop, dead from an apparent mercy murder-suicide.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

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