UPDATE: Pleasanton Police Announce Body Found Matching Description of Missing Jogger Philip Kreycik

PLEASANTON (CBS SF) --  Authorities announced Tuesday that a body matching the description of missing jogger Philip Kreycik was found in the Pleasanton park where he had disappeared on July 10.

Pleasanton police said a volunteer found the body Tuesday shortly after 2:30 p.m. about 250 yards off of a game trail in a remote area of the park.

Officials said that they were unable to positively identify the body on Tuesday, but offered their condolences to the family in the wake of the discovery. The Alameda County Coroner would be determining a positive identity and determining cause of death, authorities said.

"We're very heartbroken here today. Everything is looking likely to see that it was Phillip who was found on that ridge," said Sgt. Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. "We wanted to bring him home alive and safe, so this is disappointing."

Authorities said officers and detectives from both the Pleasanton Police Department and the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department were at the scene Tuesday afternoon, investigating and recovering any pertinent evidence.

"We'll treat this case with the upmost investigative integrity," Kelly continued. "His family wants to know how and why this happened, and they deserve those answers."

Kelly confirmed that the citizen volunteer came across the human remains in a remote part of the park, well away from any proper hiking or running trails approximately a quarter mile outside of Kreycik's intended route.

"It appears from reports I received is that this area is not easy to get to," said Kelly. "It's not something someone would come across."

The Alameda County Sheriff's Twitter account posted a message of condolences after the sad news was announced.

Pleasanton police also released a statement regarding the discovery.

"Our thoughts are with the Kreycik family and we are focused on supporting them during this difficult time," the statement said.

The location where the body was found is part of the East Bay Regional Park District jurisdiction and is approximately a quarter mile outside of Philip's intended route.

Pleasanton police offered thanks for all those who participated in the extensive searches for Kreycik over the past few weeks, including the hundreds of volunteers who spent time walking through the regional park and the many law enforcement agencies who gave assistance.

Justin Fisher was one of the volunteers who helped the Kreycik family search for their loved one.

"It's amazing that he was found now. I hate to say it and I didn't lose hope but I definitely was thinking other possibilities," said Fisher.

But hearing this news makes him wonder if he could've done more to bring the Kreycik home alive.

Fisher explains, "Maybe when we were searching, we were just feet away from him and if that's the case, it would be pretty heavy to know maybe we didn't look to the left just long enough to find him."

On Saturday, search teams focused on the remote areas of Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park failed to find any new leads in the hunt for Kreycik.

On Twitter, Pleasanton police posted the efforts had come up empty.

"Today, the search for Philip Kreycik continued as a number of teams were deployed at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. Unfortunately, no significant evidence was recovered from the area," the post read.

Last week, family members told KPIX 5 they remained hopeful.

"We are all baffled that we haven't found anything yet. Not even a trace, like a piece of clothing or a shoelace or anything," said Kreycik's wife, Jen Yao.

Kreycik's car was found at a trailhead on Pleasanton Ridge where he was set to go for a run. The husband and father of two from Berkeley never returned to his vehicle.

Kreycik's family is blown away by the hundreds of volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to search for him.

"The outpouring of support has just been incredible from the community. Literally hundreds and hundreds of people out supporting us," said Keith Kreycik.

Phillip is father to a 3-year-old boy and a 10-month-old girl. Yao has tried to explain his absence to their children.

"I said that he's on a long run. He may be lost and we and so many other people are helping to look for him," said Yao.

Police continue to investigate the disappearance. Anyone who saw or may have seen Kreycik on the day he went missing can call Pleasanton police at (925) 931-5107.

Andrea Nakano contributed to this report.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.