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Body Thought To Be Of Missing Climber Recovered Near Kings Canyon National Park

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Published Date

August 13, 2017

A body thought to be that of a missing climber has been recovered close to Kings Canyon National Park near the base of Thunderbolt Creek on the Inyo National Forest side of the border with the national park.

While confirmation was pending, the body is believed to be that of Thomas Fennessy, reported missing in the area on Thursday, the National Park Service and Inyo County (Calif) Sheriff's Office said in a release Sunday afternoon.

Mr. Fennessy had failed to return Wednesday from the Thunderbolt Peak to Mount Sill traverse in the Eastern Sierra. He was last seen early in the day on Wednesday when he departed from companions at Sam Mack Meadow in Inyo National Forest, intending to complete the Thunderbolt Peak to Mount Sill Traverse, which is the border between Inyo National Forest and Kings Canyon National Park. His companions remained in camp, and reported him overdue the following day.

The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park have been conducting joint search operations since Thursday. California Highway Patrol aircraft from Victorville and Fresno regions also provided assistance. Due to the highly technical nature of the terrain, assistance in searching for the missing party was solicited from the local climbing community as well.

Meanwhile, there was no update on the whereabouts of a young couple that vanished after touring Crystal Cave at Sequoia National Park.

Jie Song and Yinan Wang were last seen at approximately 2 p.m. last Sunday at the junction of Crystal Cave Road and the Generals Highway in Sequoia National Park after attending a Crystal Cave Tour. They intended to continue north to Kings Canyon National Park, stay the night in Fresno, and had reservations in Yosemite National Park on Monday, August 7. They did not show up for their Yosemite reservation.

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