A body that was found on El Cajon Mountain overnight in the area where a hiker went missing Saturday afternoon has been confirmed as that of Thomas Mark Castiglia, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Fifty-year-old Castiglia, had met with a group at the mountain around 8:30 a.m. Saturday intending to hike to Lunch Rock, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
A little more than two hours later, Castiglia told his fellow hikers that he would be going at a slower pace than the rest of the group, and told them not to wait up for him. He was reported missing after he failed to return from the trail head by 2:45 p.m.
Castiglia was described as 5-feet-6 inches tall, 165 pounds and bald with hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a black sweater, black shorts and a green hat, and was carrying a green backpack and blue hiking poles.
His body was eventually found near the base of a sheer cliff, according to the sheriff’s department.
The exact cause of death has not been released.
Updated Jan. 27, 2019 at 1:32 p.m.
–City News Service, staff