Ronald Barbour Search
Wrightwood California
Hiker overdue since 1-18-2004 

1-27-2004 update
PRESS RELEASE by San Bernardino County Sheriff

DATE/TIME: January 26,2004
INCIDENT: Located Missing Person
LOCATION: Acorn Canyon, Wrightwood
VICTIM: Ronald Dean Barbour, 69, La Crescenta

SUMMARY:
On Monday January 19, 2004 at about 4.27 p.m. deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Victor Valley Station responded to the area of Acorn and Finch Roads in Wrightwood concerning Ronald Barbour's vehicle being found in the area. Barbour had been reported as an overdue missing person to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lancaster Station. It was learned from Barbour's family that Barbour had planned to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the area of 1-15 to Acorn Canyon in Wrightwood. Barbour told family members he was taking his bicycle and would hide the bicycle at one end of the trail and park his vehicle at the other end. Due to the cold weather and icy conditions on the Pacific Crest Trail, Alpine Certified members of the Sheriff's Wrightwood Search and Rescue team immediately searched the trail from Acorn Canyon to the Cajon Summit where they met with members of the Victor Valley Search and Rescue team who were searching the trail from the 1-15. The search continued for seven days and involved Search and Rescue Units, including helicopters, search dogs, Alpine Certified teams, Equestrian units, and ground searchers from San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties. Sunday evening as members at the search command post were debriefing the days search, they were notified at about 4:38 p.m. a hiker was reporting finding a body covered with snow in Acorn Canyon in Wrightwood. Members from the command post responded and were lead to the body, believed to be the missing person, who appeared to have fallen from a large rock and struck his head on the frozen ground. Alpine Certified members of the Wrightwood Search and Rescue team were summoned to the scene to recover the body from the slippery, icy and snow covered canyon. The body was released to the coroner's office and was later identified as Ronald Barbour.

Refer: Sgt. Pat Dailey or Sgt. Glenn Gwaltney
Station: Victor Valley
Phone No: (760) 243-8720
Case No. 070400287
 

1-26-2004 update
Ronald Barbour's body was found at 4:30 pm on 1-25-04 according to
Chip Patterson from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. Patterson
said that a hiker located the body some distance from the Acorn Trail.
Cause of death is not known at this time.  
 

1-25-2004 update
8 Teams and a helicopter continue the search for Ron Barbour.
Efforts are being concentrated in the ice chutes along Blue Ridge and
trails heading through Lytle Creek.
 

1-24-2004 update
Currently 20 people and a SB County Sheriff helicopter continue looking for Ron Barbour according to Deputy Lomeli at the command post in Phelan. A Type I certified Alpine Rescue Team from LA County is focusing on ice chutes near Mt High East today with additional teams following a shoe track found near 3n31 (Swarthout Canyon & Lone Pine Canyon Road area). 
 
Authorities ask anyone seeing a man on 1-16-04 through 1-19-04  wearing an orange jacket,
carrying a blue Jansport back pack, walking or possibly hitch hiking in Wrightwood to please
call the Phelan Sheriff’s Station at 760 868-1006
 

1-23-2004 update
Sergeant Daley of the Phelan Sheriff's Sub Station indicates the search continues for Ronald Barbour without any additional traces of the missing hiker. On Monday a sighting was reported of a person matching Mr. Barbour's description but the clothing did not match according to relatives.

Search teams are combing Blue Ridge from Mountain High East towards
Acorn Trail in addition to the Pacific Crest Trail down to the I15.
 

 When he had not returned and his family had not heard from him a hasty search was conducted of Acorn Canyon. Both his car-a green Toyota SUV-and his bicycle were found near the Acorn Canyon Trail head. The bicycle locked to a resident’s tree, and the SUV parked at Acorn and Finch.

This morning 10 Mounted Posse units searched the PCT from the 15, in Swarthout Canyon where the trail begins to ascend up towards Blue Ridge, and the adjacent canyons and drainages.

Mounted Patrol and Posse Members from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Dept,
Antelope Valley Search & Rescue, and Morongo Basin Search and Rescue.

An “Area Dog” was also utilized in Swarthout Canyon.

While horses and the area dog worked in Swarthout Canyon, Trailing dogs checked the vehicle, area where the bicycle was left, and the Acorn Trail Head to determine a direction of travel.

Bob Wells, Lori Wells, Bob Veek, and Bill Thatcher
from LASDA work their dogs at Acorn and Finch.

Bob Veek of LASDA and Tom Schneider, of Wrightwood/Phelan Search & Rescue
confer with reporter Clint Kearns about local trails and conditions.