Hiker found dead after going missing in Sierra Nevada

A hiker who had been missing for two weeks was found dead by searchers in Stanislaus National Forest.

The body of Michael Moore, 71, was discovered Sunday, Sept. 1, by a search team with dogs, the Tuolumne County sheriff’s office said.

Moore, from the Grass Valley area, had disappeared after setting out Aug. 16 on what his wilderness permit said was a hike from Gianelli Trailhead to Powell Lake, about 2½ miles in the Emigrant Wilderness. On Aug. 17, his dog and his backpack were both found in the opposite direction of his intended route. The dog was not injured.

Though a coroner’s report has not been issued, the sheriff’s office said, “There was nothing found during the investigation that would indicate foul play.”

• The Tuolumne County sheriff’s office also reported the discovery of human remains on Aug. 29 in the Stanislaus River Canyon northwest of Twain Harte.

The announcement, on Sept. 3, did not include an identification, but it did note that the location of the remains was about 3 miles from where a truck associated with two missing men had been found in June.

Those men, Ronnie Henley, 57, and Ronnie Duncan, 45, were last seen in March, when they were reportedly planning to travel from the Modesto area to property that Henley owned in the Tuolumne County community of Jupiter.