BISHOP, Calif. " Authorities say a body recovered from the eastern Sierra Nevada has been identified as that of a hiker who went missing early this month.
Inyo County sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper says the body was positively identified Thursday as that of 44-year-old mountaineer Ric DeVan of San Diego.
DeVan was last seen during the Fourth of July holiday. Searchers found the body Wednesday in a mountain pass at an elevation of about 12,000 feet. A backpack that family members said belonged to DeVan was found about 400 feet downhill.
Coroner Leon Brune said an autopsy was planned Thursday with results available in a day.