The body of Vikram Mubayi, an Indian-origin PhD student who went missing during a solo hiking trip in California, has been found.
According to Daily Nexus, the student-run newspaper of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), his body was recovered on the evening of August 3 in the Big Pine Lakes area of Inyo National Forest.
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Who was Vikram Mubayi?
Vikram Mubayi was born and raised in Hong Kong and loved sports and spending time outdoors.
He was entering the fifth year of his PhD in chemical engineering at UCSB. Before joining the university, he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2022.
At UCSB, Mubayi researched bacteria and other biological methods to break down plant waste and plastics, with the aim of developing sustainable alternatives to petroleum. He also worked as a teaching assistant for undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering courses.
According to UIUC’s digitised yearbook, Mubayi hoped to use his work in chemical engineering to explore “ways to mitigate global warming” after completing his PhD.
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When did he go missing?
Mubayi had been hiking in the Big Pine Lakes area of Inyo National Forest. He last contacted his family at 8:37 p.m. on August 1.
The next day, his sibling shared a post on Reddit asking for help in locating him.
The post said, “My brother Vikram is 6’3″, 170 lbs, has dark hair, and has been out of contact since 8:30 p.m. yesterday in the Big Pine Lakes area in the Eastern Sierra, specifically around Agassiz Col.”
It added that his last update came from coordinates 37.10942° N, 118.52428° W at 8:37 p.m. PST.
The family said he was an experienced hiker and believed he had already reached a “reasonably easy part of the route.” His car was still parked at the trailhead.
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When was his body found?
A search-and-rescue operation involving the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, Inyo County Search and Rescue, and the California Highway Patrol was launched after he was reported missing.
According to Daily Nexus, Mubayi’s body was found in the Big Pine Lakes area on the evening of August 3.
