Avalanche Kills Graduate Student Hiking In Sierra Nevada

INDEPENDENCE, Calif. (CBS/AP) — Searchers have located the body of a missing graduate student killed in an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada.

Inyo County Sheriff William Lutze says crews used sonar technology to find Michael David Meyers on Saturday in the John Muir Wilderness east of Fresno.

Lutze says the 25-year-old suffered massive injuries in the avalanche.

The Los Angeles Times reports Meyers texted his roommate Nov. 5 to say he was going to Mount Russell in Inyo National Forest. The area, where avalanches are common, was slammed by a winter-like storm.

A search began Nov. 18 after someone found Meyers' car.

Officials say Meyers, who studied physics at UCLA, was an experienced climber who left a detailed itinerary for his solo trip — which helped authorities locate the body.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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