Full Notification

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a young male hiker whose body was found this morning, March 17, on Cold Springs Trail near Tangerine Falls and the rescue of a female hiker who was found this afternoon in the area. Both incidents are still under investigation, but at this point it appears the two, both in their twenties, went on a hike around 4 p.m. yesterday, March 16, and about 45 minutes into the hike they fell. The female suffered two broken ankles and a broken wrist. The male hiker suffered a serious injury to his arm. After a period of time, the male hiker went to get help and was fatally injured when he fell again about 20 to 30 feet down a rocky ledge.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. this morning, a couple hiking on the lower Cold Springs Trail, called 9-1-1 to report seeing a body about 10 to 15 feet off the trail. Sheriff’s deputies and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team members responded to the area and found the decedent. Due to the location of the body, it took Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers several hours to transport the decedent out of the area.

Just before 4 p.m. today, several hikers in the upper Cold Springs Trail area discovered an injured female hiker and called 9-1-1. Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team members responded along with personnel from the Montecito Fire Protection District who made contact with the victim. She was airlifted to a local hospital by Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit Copter 3. The victim is in the hospital recovering from her injuries.

The identities of the two hikers involved in this incident are being withheld at this time.