CA CA - Monica Reza, 60, hiker, Mount Waterman, Los Angeles National Forest, 22 Jun 2025

[imstilla.grandma]

Monica Reza was last seen a little after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning near 60001 Trailhead Avenue on the Angeles Crest Highway, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Search continues for missing 60-year-old hiker in Angeles National Forest - Local News 8

By Dean Fioresi Click here for updates on this story LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Authorities on Monday continued their search for a 60-year-old hiker who went missing near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest over the weekend. Monica Reza was last seen a little after 9 a.m. on Sunday...

localnews8.com

LASD's Air Rescue 5 helicopter is searching the area from the air, while Montrose Search and Rescue crews and other teams from Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Riverside air aiding in the search.

Search continues for missing 60-year-old hiker in Angeles National Forest

Monica Reza was last seen at around 9 a.m. on Sunday near 60001 Trailhead Avenue and the Angeles Crest Highway, authorities said.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[slowpoke]

“We are not requesting or accepting civilian volunteers at this time.”

Volunteer searchers with no training may compromise the search efforts of the professionals due to:
Lack of coordination
Lack of training and equipment
May cause an Incident within an incident
Destruction of tracking evidence

https://www.facebook.com/MontroseSearchandRescueTeamLASD/posts/pfbid02s3jWqU5GHZuNUNRDDmVejKWFtjAVEBr5w3uSHX6MzdpaNtD2361qBkVR7ASDkhpYl

 

[Joe Friday]

Another lost hiker. Lately, it seems this is a reoccurring story.

Wish people would stop hiking by themselves?

JMO

 

[GraceG]

Another lost hiker. Lately, it seems this is a reoccurring story.

Wish people would stop hiking by themselves?

JMO

I lived in SO Cal for a number of years, I never hiked except with a group. I know courage/human attacks are rare, but I remember in 95 I think, a young man was attacked by a cougar in the San Gabriel mountains while riding his bike and bitten in the head multiple times before he was able to fight off the cougar and he was a big guy, not a smaller female. You're more likely to have a fall and be injured and unable to get to help quickly than get attacked by wildlife, but I still went with a group.

 

[KBlackRabbit]

I hike alone all of the time. Never had a problem.

Groups can get lost or run into trouble too.

 

[whitelilac]

I would not even read here if my daughter wasn't yet back from her 6 day hike in the Sierras. By herself. She's experienced, but still..... I'm her worrywart mother.

She has a satellite communicator, so she checked in twice a day. Plus in case of emergency it pinpoints her exact location. On one occasion she lost the trail due to snow, but this showed her the way, the direction to go. This device is not even that costly, and can be a lifesaver.

I wish every lone hiker had this. I so remember the awful case of Julian Sands, so sad, he took the wrong direction.

May Monica, a fellow nature lover, be found safe...please.

 

[LAhiker]

Another lost hiker. Lately, it seems this is a reoccurring story.

Wish people would stop hiking by themselves?

JMO

I agree that it's safer to hike with a group. I also agree that many people prefer to hike alone. When hiking alone (or even with just one or two people), it's best to tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back. It's also good to have a satellite communication device.

Even when people hike with a group, they may get separated from the group if they hike slower or faster than the others or if they step off the trail to relieve themselves. While some groups such as the Sierra Club take precautions against this, even with precautions, people occasionally get separated from their group.

Though it sounds like Monica Reza was hiking alone, AFAIK, there hasn't been any official confirmation of that.

The situation is very worrisome. I hope she's found safe soon.

JMO

 

[mlhenn]

Search Intensifies for Missing Woman, 60, Last Seen Hiking in California: 'We Are Deeply Concerned,' Authorities Say

Monica Reza, 60, was last spotted hiking in Angeles National Forest in California on Sunday, June 22. Multiple agencies have been searching for days for the woman, who is considered an "at-risk missing person."

people.com

Fear is growing for a 60-year-old missing woman, who was last seen hiking in a mountainous area near Los Angeles four days ago.

Multiple agencies have been working nonstop to find the missing woman, officials said.

 

[slowpoke]

Whoa—she wasn’t hiking alone; she had been hiking with two other people!

One person hiked on to their car, but Reza and the other hiker continued on the trail. Then, at some point, during the hike she became separated from the other hiker.

“They [the friends] go out weekly [to hike] in the area. She is in good shape and is experienced [hiking],” said Sgt. John Gilbert, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. – Crescenta Valley Station.

Article says it appears she got separated “near the ridge line”. It is unknown why she went off trail.

Search Continues for Missing Hiker in Rugged ANF Terrain - Crescenta Valley Weekly

www.crescentavalleyweekly.com

 

[slowpoke]

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue is one of the groups assisting in helping find Monica.

This post on their IG illustrates the difficulty of the terrain, and the efforts involved.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[mlhenn]

Southern California Hiker, Monica Reza, Still Missing After Six Days

The search for missing hiker Monica Reza is ongoing after six days. Reza disappeared while hiking outside of Los Angeles, California.

outdoors.com

Search-and-rescue crews are asking the public to take a step back and refrain from interfering with their efforts.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/missing-hiker-teams-from-san-diego-to-tulare-county-enter-day-6-of-search/

“Today marks day 6 of the search for Monica Reza in the Mount Waterman area of the Angeles National Forest,” wrote Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station in a Facebook post a couple of hours ago.

 

[LAhiker]

Unfortunately, it appears that the search for Monica Reza has been suspended, without success. Here's a statement from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, which is part of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept. I think Montrose SAR is the main search and rescue unit within the LASD. (Note that missing persons cases around here are normally handled by a unit within the Homicide Bureau. It does not mean that homicide is suspected.)

"A week ago today, Monica Reza, went missing while hiking near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest.

An extraordinary search was initiated that involved not only our Los Angeles County Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, but numerous resources from throughout the state leveraging local, state, and federal assets. The use of forensic technology, photography, airships, canines, and other specialized tools were utilized in this effort leaving nearly no available resource untapped.

While today concludes our initial response phase of this operations, the investigation will continue by our Homicide Bureau: Missing Persons Unit. Our search efforts will be limited and continuous as data and information further inform our efforts.

Our hearts go out to Monica’s family, friends, coworkers, and the community who have shown great concern for her disappearance. We appreciate the numerous members of the public who have reached out to get involved in the search. It is important to understand the area Monica went missing in can be highly technical and difficult for inexperienced hikers.

Given this is an ongoing investigation, we would ask the public to avoid actively searching this area. On behalf of the family, we are conveying their request for privacy at this time.
We ask anyone with information regarding Monica Reza’s disappearance to please contact Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau - Missing Persons Unit, Detective Shannon Rincon or Detective Richie Sanchez at 323-890-5500."

LASD - Montrose Search and Rescue Team

A statement from our station regarding the search for Monica Reza.

www.facebook.com

 

[GraceG]

Unfortunately, it appears that the search for Monica Reza has been suspended, without success. Here's a statement from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, which is part of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept. I think Montrose SAR is the main search and rescue unit within the LASD. (Note that missing persons cases around here are normally handled by a unit within the Homicide Bureau. It does not mean that homicide is suspected.)

LASD - Montrose Search and Rescue Team

A statement from our station regarding the search for Monica Reza.

www.facebook.com

Just a note" (my Mom was a County Sheriff). The Homicide Bureau of the Sheriff Dept. doing the continued missing persons investigation does NOT mean they believe it was a homicide. That bureau of the sheriff has duties that INCLUDE missing persons, that's standard in many departments.

LASD.org - Information Detail

 

[LAhiker]

It turns out that the official search for Monica Reza has not been completely suspended, but instead has been scaled back, with local SAR agencies and units searching intermittently, as happened yesterday. Here's a post from Sierra Madre Search and Rescue.

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team

Team members yesterday deployed to Devils Canyon as part of the search for missing hiker Monica Reza, last seen in the Mount Waterman area on June 22. Given the remoteness of the assignment area and...

www.facebook.com

There's also a well-organized unofficial search. But as of this writing, she has not been found.

JMO