Big Sur hikers encounter ‘atrocious’ crime scene, find the only person with answers ‘numb and dull’

A suspicious death investigation is underway after a woman was found dead in California’s Big Sur wilderness area on Thursday, April 9. Hikers discovered the woman’s body and described the scene to local media, as well as their interaction with a man who claimed to be her friend.

The body was discovered along the Pine Ridge Trail near Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness, a remote and heavily trafficked backcountry area of Los Padres National Forest, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Officials said the woman’s death is being treated as suspicious, though her identity has not been publicly released as of the latest updates.

Search and rescue teams were initially unable to recover the body until the following day due to steep terrain and adverse weather conditions, authorities said. A California Highway Patrol helicopter assisted deputies in reaching the site before ground crews completed recovery efforts.

She was “pale” with “marking around her neck”

Hikers who came across the scene told KSBW they immediately noticed signs of something unusual and distressing. While one hiker called the crime scene “atrocious,” another hiker, Gabe Holmes, described visible injuries, saying, “I didn’t see any blood. She was pale. She had markings around her neck,” according to the station’s report. Reportedly, the woman was naked and had a “gash” on her head, authorities confirmed.

Another hiker, John Heerema, said the group also encountered a man at the scene who identified himself as the woman’s friend. Heerema described the man’s demeanor as unsettling, telling KSBW, “Scared, nervous, like shocked, his face just, like, numb and dull.”

The hikers said they were unsure how to interpret his behavior in the moment. Luke Heerema, another member of the group, said they considered multiple possibilities, including whether the man was in shock or potentially involved. “On one hand, we didn’t know if he was just having the worst day of his life or, on the other, like he just killed someone,” he told the outlet.

According to statements relayed by the hikers to KSBW, the man said the woman had gone to the river to clean herself and was later found face down in the water after he went looking for her. Authorities have not confirmed those details and have not identified any suspects.

The Big Sur suspicious death investigation continues

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has not released a cause of death, pending autopsy results, and officials emphasized that no one is in custody. Investigators are treating the case as a suspicious death while continuing to collect witness statements and forensic evidence.

In a statement echoed by local reporting, officials said there is currently no known threat to hikers or campers in the Sykes Hot Springs area, though access to parts of the Pine Ridge Trail has been restricted during the investigation.

As of the latest updates, the victim has not been publicly identified, and authorities have not disclosed whether foul play is suspected or confirmed. The investigation remains ongoing, with officials awaiting the medical examiner’s findings to determine how the woman died.