Diem Le Nguyen, 50, was found dead last month after hiking Nighthawk Trail on Black Mountain as part of a fundraising event.
After Nguyen died during the region’s first heat wave of the season, her family reached out to NBC 7 to share that they felt more could have been done to keep participants safe.
They mentioned that they weren’t sure if the organizer, Jimmy Thai, had the proper permit for the event. An official working for the city of San Diego confirmed this week to NBC 7 that Thai did not.
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The event was a 5K put together by Thai, who is the founder of Build a School Foundation that, he said, benefits children in Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia. According to a flier, it was advertised as a hike or walk that started at 8 a.m. and cost adults a $20 fee to participate.
“I’ve been doing this for so long,” Thai told NBC 7 at the trailhead the day Nguyen went missing. “We’ve been in existence for eight years and this is the first time that ever happen anything [sic] like this to us.”
Investigators with the San Diego Police Department said Nguyen was with a group of 100 hikers and that, when the group stopped halfway up around 8 a.m., Nguyen went ahead and finished the trail alone. At 9:30 a.m., she contacted the group, telling them she had reached the top of the mountain. Then at 10:08 a.m., she contacted her sister, who was also on the hike, to say she was tired and needed water. When she didn't make contact after that, she was reported missing. On Sunday night, search-and-rescue teams with more than 50 volunteers, search dogs and drones combed the mountain until 1 a.m. Law enforcement teams restarted the search at around 6 a.m. and her body was found around 9:15 a.m. Monday.
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According to a request submitted by NBC 7 through the California Public Records Act (CPRA), the city said Thai did not have a required event permit for Black Mountain that day but he was issued one for fewer than 50 people at a gazebo at Hilltop Community Park nearby. However, according to a spokesperson for the city, Benny Cartwright, if Thai had secured the proper open-space permit, there would have been more support and resources during the hike itself.
“The permits are issued to ensure adequate event staffing first aid stations, onsite medical staff, contact phone numbers for on-duty park ranger staff, and knowledge of the event route,” Cartwright said in a statement sent to NBC 7. “Park rangers work with event organizers and communicate potential environmental hazards such as heat, terrain, wildlife and fauna.”
Cartwright added that a permit should have been obtained since there were more than 50 people. Nguyen’s family wonders what effect that might have had on what happened on Nighthawk Trail last month.
Nguyen’s sons posted a statement about her passing on Facebook that read, in part, “Our mom was compassionate and selfless, and our family will forever cherish the memories that we had with her. We remember her for her resilience and we hope to carry on her legacy.”
They also asked for privacy and said they were not ready to speak on-camera, but when NBC 7 shared the update about the event permit with one of the relatives who reached out with concern, they said they felt “validated.”
NBC 7 also followed up with the San Diego County Medical Examiner to see if an official cause of death had been determined.
“At this point in the investigation, it appears likely that her death is heat-related, but confirmatory testing is still underway," Dr. Steven Campman, who is the chief medical examiner for the county, said in a statement.
It is unclear if the city will take any action against Thai for not having the permit they say he needed. NBC 7 reached out to him multiple times via phone and email but has not heard back.
