A man whose body was found Monday at Three Sisters Falls following an extensive search was identified Tuesday by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.
Richard William Oliver, a 28-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, drowned Friday, officials said. He and a friend drove down to the falls on Friday, according to the ME's office, and were taking photographs when Oliver fell in, never to be seen again.
Volunteer divers with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department found Oliver's body submerged in the middle pool at about 1:30 p.m., and he was airlifted to the trailhead, ending a four-day search.
For four days, personnel from various nearby agencies searched the area for Oliver, including deputies with the Alpine Sheriff's Station, Julian Sheriff's Substation, Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter, CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service.
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Three Sisters Falls
The water current had been too dangerous for divers to search underwater until Monday, according to the sheriff's department.
A death at Three Sisters just weeks earlier
Earlier in the month, a woman fell off a footpath to her death at Three Sisters Falls while trying to save a teenager who also fell and was seriously injured but survived. Officials said later that Sarah Louise Crocker, 48, of Ladera Ranch, had led a group of four teens, including family members and family friends, on a morning hike to the cascading waterfalls on June 8.
Witnesses were able to perform CPR on Crocker but she did not survive. Her cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries, including to her chest, with drowning, according to the ME.
The dangers of Three Sisters Falls
The falls are especially dangerous this season, Cleveland National Forest spokesman Nathan Judy told NBC 7.
“In years like this when you get a lot of rain, the dam above the falls does get full," Judy said, "and so the water that flows out of there can be stronger in times or years when we have a lot of water.”
There have been 13 helicopter rescues so far this year at the site, Judy said about the hike, which is not for beginners.
“With over 50-foot water cascading over it, and it falls into your pool that could be over 10-feet deep, you know, trekking over that trail can be very dangerous because those rocks are pretty smooth," Judy said. "And, you know, there might be some algae on there. So slip and falls are common in that area.”
The gain in elevation and heat makes the hike extremely strenuous as well.
"You know, you're hiking down into a canyon trail," Judy said. "It's unexposed, so there's not really any shade out there. So we do have a lot of folks that, if they don't bring enough water, if they don't take precautions of wearing the necessary footwear, making sure they have sunscreen, wearing light-colored clothes and bringing plenty of water — we suggest a gallon of water.”
During extremely hot days, the trail might be closed as a precaution against dehydration and other illnesses that have happened in the past.
Even though the trail has been reopened and remains a popular spot in San Diego, Judy stresses that Three Sisters visitors hike at their own risk.
