Missing Hiker Found Dead With Dog Waiting By His Side in Los Angeles Park

The body of a missing hiker was found in a Los Angeles-area park with his dog by his side, ABC News reports. 

Oscar Alejandro Hernandez, 29, was first reported missing on March 16 before his body was discovered in Griffith Park with his dog King still alive beside him on Thursday. Hernandez’s cousin told KNBC-TV that the dog never left the owner’s side, even after two weeks. A firefighter told the publication that the body’s location was a “good hike up from the park’s merry-go- round,” where Hernandez was last seen. 

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, park rangers and family members were on location at the site of Hernandez’s recovery, and his body has been taken to a remote field pending investigation. The fire department was called to the scene around 7 p.m. 

Heartbreaking footage from Twitter, shown above, shows the emaciated dog after authorities arrived on the scene. As of Saturday, the L.A. County coroner’s office has not released any information about Hernandez’s death.