An ASU alumnus and research analyst assistant's body was found after he went missing while hiking in Oregon on Monday.
David Yaghmourian, 30, was last seen on top on the eastern junction of Mount Hood's Timberline Trail at the Pacific Crest Trail on Monday night when he injured his leg, according to a press release from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office on Monday, Oct. 9.
Read More: ASU research assistant is injured, goes missing while hiking in Oregon
On the morning of Thursday Oct. 11, a body was discovered on the mountain by a climber who reported it to the sheriff's office. The body was later identified to be Yaghmourian.
The body was found at 8,300 feet elevation on Mount Hood. A search and rescue mission was underway for Yaghmourian but he was not believed to have hiked to that elevation.
"This was outside our search area about 3,000 feet," Sgt. Sean Collinson said in a press conference. "This was far higher than we expected our subject David (Yaghmourian) to be going."
Officials said the death may have been from hypothermia due to harsh weather conditions, and a small fall from about 30 feet where it appeared Yaghmourian had set up a small camp.
"This is a tragic accident," Collinson said in the press conference. "We have a few people on the mountain that we have never recovered, this will at least give (the) family some closure."
Yaghmourian graduated from ASU in 2014 with a degree in psychology and worked in ASU researcher Michelene Chi’s Learning and Cognition Lab in the Institute for the Science of Teaching & Learning at ASU.
"He was the most patient and agreeable persons I know. He carried out various research tasks in our lab such as coding qualitative data, designing instructional materials and most recently, creating assessment questions for our instructional modules," Chi said. "We will all miss him tremendously."
Carole Basile, dean of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, gave a statement that was posted on the school's Twitter.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Reach the reporters at Mdhunte2@asu.edu and ajhowar6@asu.edu or follow @masaihunterTV and @andrew_howard4 on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
