Glendale Resident Narineh Avakian Found Dead After Missing on a Day-Long Hike

GLENDALE — A woman whose family reported her missing when she didn’t return from a day-long hike last weekend was found dead near a Southern California mountain trail on Saturday, police say.

Glendale resident Narineh Avakian, 37, was discovered near the Mount Waterman Trail, the Glendale Police Department said in a news release.

Preliminary investigations indicate that foul play was not involved, police said, but an investigation into her death is ongoing.

Family members first contacted police on March 8, informing officers that Avakian left her home a day earlier around noon and had said she was going on a one-day hiking trip, an earlier news release from police said.

She did not say where she was going, police said.

“Per the family, it is common for Narineh to go hiking with groups and on solo trips — though lately she has been going solo,” the release said.

On Thursday, Avakian’s parked vehicle was located in the Buckhorn Day Use Area, along the Angeles Crest Highway, police said. The area had been heavily impacted by a recent snowstorm, police said.

After her vehicle was found, search and rescue teams from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were deployed but severe weather conditions — including about a foot of snow — put a pause on the search for several hours.

Glendale Police said search and rescue teams from 17 different counties assisted in the effort to find Avakian.