Speaker 1: Now the Angelus National Forest, a sprawling expanse of over
Speaker 1: seven hundred thousand acres, serves as a rugged crown to
Speaker 1: the Los Angeles Basin. It's often affectionately referred to as
Speaker 1: LA's backyard playground, a testament to its role as a
Speaker 1: vital recreational escape for millions living in the adjacent metropolis.
Speaker 1: Its accessible trails, soaring peaks, and shaded canyons offer a
Speaker 1: quick and profound immersion into the wild. Yet this idyllic
Speaker 1: image belies a more formidable truth. The forest is a
Speaker 1: place of rugged terrain and harsh vegetation. It's a genuine
Speaker 1: wilderness where the line between recreation and peril is perilously thin.
Speaker 1: For decades, its canyons have echoed with stories of those
Speaker 1: who ventured in and did not return, making it a
Speaker 1: landscape of a long and often tragic memory. On June
Speaker 1: twenty second, twenty twenty five, this unforgiving place ground became
Speaker 1: the setting for another baffling disappearance. Monica Reza, a sixty
Speaker 1: year old hiker, vanished from the well trodden trails near
Speaker 1: Mount Waterman. Her case triggered a massive multi agency search
Speaker 1: operation through intense public scrutiny and ultimately settled into the quiet,
Speaker 1: uncertain status of an open and ongoing investigation. The disappearance
Speaker 1: of an experienced hiker, in good health and unfamiliar territory
Speaker 1: from the mists of her own hiking party presents a
Speaker 1: profound mystery. It's a case that not only highlights the
Speaker 1: inherent dangers of the wilderness, but also serves as a
Speaker 1: modern parable about the limits of technology, the complexities of
Speaker 1: public involvement in official investigations, and the enduring power of
Speaker 1: the wild to defy human understanding. This video, we're going
Speaker 1: to provide an exhaustive examination of the Monica res A case,
Speaker 1: from her last known movements to the somber conclusion of
Speaker 1: the initial search, placing her ste within the broader, darker
Speaker 1: context of the many who have been lost in the
Speaker 1: San Gabriel Mountains. Join me, let's walk and see now.
Speaker 1: The narrative of any missing person case begins with the
Speaker 1: last confirmed moments of their presence. In the case of
Speaker 1: Monica Reza, these moments are both deceptively simple and maddeningly ambiguous.
Speaker 1: Reconstructing the timeline of June twenty second, twenty twenty five
Speaker 1: reveals a standard Sunday morning hike and inexplicably deviated into
Speaker 1: a lasting mystery, creating an information vacuum that was almost
Speaker 1: immediately filled with questions, speculation, and a community's desperate search
Speaker 1: for answers. Monica Reza was not a novice lost in
Speaker 1: an alien environment. The sixty year old Los Angeles County
Speaker 1: resident was, by all official accounts, an experienced and well
Speaker 1: prepared hiker. Described as a petit woman, standing four foot
Speaker 1: eleven inches tall and weighing approximately one hundred and one pounds,
Speaker 1: She had gray hair and brown eyes, and was known
Speaker 1: to be in good shape. Sergeant John Gilbert of the
Speaker 1: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department d LASD Crescenta Valley Station
Speaker 1: confirmed this, stating that Reza and her friend's quote went
Speaker 1: out weekly to hike in the area end quote. This
Speaker 1: familiarity with the terrain and regular hiking schedule makes her
Speaker 1: disappearance all the more perplexing. Unlike many cases that involve
Speaker 1: ill prepared or inexperienced individuals, Reside's profile suggests she possessed
Speaker 1: the skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges of the
Speaker 1: San Gabriel Mountains. She had no known health conditions that
Speaker 1: would have contributed to her disappearance, further deepening the mystery.
Speaker 1: The day began as a routine outing. Monica Rezla was
Speaker 1: hiking with two companions in the popular Mount Waterman area
Speaker 1: of the Angelus National Forest. The last confirmed sighting of
Speaker 1: her occurred at approximately nine ten am near the six
Speaker 1: thousand foot Gear eight on Angela's Crest Highway, a location
Speaker 1: also identified as sixty thousand and one Trailhead Avenue. The
Speaker 1: critical event, as reported by the authorities, involved the separation
Speaker 1: of the group. According to the Crescenta Valley Weekly, the
Speaker 1: trio split up when one of the hikers went ahead
Speaker 1: to retrieve their car, leaving Monica and the third hiker
Speaker 1: to continue together. It was at this point that the
Speaker 1: narrative fractures. Resident became separated from her remaining companion. The
Speaker 1: most crucial and enigmatic detail provided by officials is that
Speaker 1: she quote left the trail for an unknown reason near
Speaker 1: the ridge line between the elevations of seven thousand and
Speaker 1: eight thousand feet end quote. This single action or inaction
Speaker 1: is the pivot upon which the entire case turns. There
Speaker 1: was no report of a fall, an argument, or planned rendezvous.
Speaker 1: Point one moment she was there, and the next she
Speaker 1: was gone. A comment on a social media post from
Speaker 1: someone claiming to be a neighbor later added a layer
Speaker 1: of community disbelief, quoting here, how this could happen in
Speaker 1: a group setting is beyond me, Her family and the
Speaker 1: neighborhood is devastated. In the immediate aftermath, the flow of
Speaker 1: information was inconsistent, a common feature of fast moving crises,
Speaker 1: but one that fueled public confusion. An early discrepancy merged
Speaker 1: regarding resis clothing. While most official reports and news outlets
Speaker 1: eventually settled on a consistent description a red long sleeve shirt,
Speaker 1: green hiking pants, and hiking shoes, some initial reports were
Speaker 1: less specific, mentioning only a long sleeve shirt. This minor
Speaker 1: confusion underscored a larger problem, the lack of a clear,
Speaker 1: detailed public narrative from her companions or the authorities about
Speaker 1: the precise circumstances of her disappearance. The information void was
Speaker 1: quickly filled by burgeoning public investigation on social media platforms,
Speaker 1: particularly redded Members of the southern California hiking community, many
Speaker 1: of whom were familiar with the trail and standard hiking practices,
Speaker 1: began asking pointed and logical questions that highlighted the narratives
Speaker 1: apparent gaps. Their queries went straight to the heart of
Speaker 1: the matter. What was the timeline for reporting or missing?
Speaker 1: How long was the delay between her separation and the
Speaker 1: call to law enforcement? What were the identities of her companions?
Speaker 1: Were they experienced hikers as well? Why did the group
Speaker 1: separate in the first place, a practice often discouraged among
Speaker 1: hiking groups. One online comment or claimed the group was
Speaker 1: quote jogging quickly on the trail end quote, while another
Speaker 1: Reddit user noted that a Facebook group dedicated to the
Speaker 1: search mentioned they were running back from the summit. This
Speaker 1: led to questions about why they were running and where
Speaker 1: the razor was appropriately dressed for traial running, And, perhaps
Speaker 1: most critically, users in the Facebook group readed questioned why
Speaker 1: an experienced hiker like Resi was reportedly without a water supply.
Speaker 1: These questions were not born a vital gossip, but of
Speaker 1: a logical attempt to reconcile the official story with established
Speaker 1: norms of hiking culture. For experienced hikers, The idea of
Speaker 1: a companion simply vanishing without a trace and the lack
Speaker 1: of basic supplies like water seemed incongruous. The ambiguity surrounding
Speaker 1: the separation created a space for skepticism and alternative theories
Speaker 1: to quickly grow, turning a personal tragedy into a very
Speaker 1: public puzzle. The response to Monica Rezi's disappearance was immediate, massive,
Speaker 1: and a testament to the highly organized and collaborative nature
Speaker 1: of southern California's search and rescue community. Yet the sheer
Speaker 1: scale of the operation also served to highlight the immense
Speaker 1: difficulty of its task. Great days a small army of
Speaker 1: professionals and volunteers through every available resource at the mountain,
Speaker 1: only to be met with a stubborn and unyielding silence.
Speaker 1: The operational aid for the search fell to the LAS
Speaker 1: dan's Crescenta Valley station and its affiliated volunteer unit, the
Speaker 1: Montrose Search and Rescue SAAR team. Founded in nineteen forty seven,
Speaker 1: Montrose SAAR is one of the most active volunteer rescue
Speaker 1: teams in both the county and the state, responding to
Speaker 1: an average of ninety five to one hundred and thirty
Speaker 1: five calls annually and possessing deep institutional knowledge of the
Speaker 1: treacherous local terrain. However, the complexity of the search quickly
Speaker 1: necessitated a far broader coalition. What followed was a remarkable
Speaker 1: mobilization of mutual aid, drawing in specialized teams from across
Speaker 1: the lower half of California. The list of participating agencies
Speaker 1: underscores the gravity with which the case was treated. Of
Speaker 1: Tadana Mountain Rescue at Lope Valley SAAR, Sierra Madre Search
Speaker 1: and Rescue, SANDEMUS Mountain Rescue, and Malibu SAAR from within
Speaker 1: Los Angeles County were joined by teams from San Diego, Ventura, Riverside, Orange,
Speaker 1: San Bernardino, Kern, and even to Larry Counties. This statewide
Speaker 1: response transformed the area around Mount Waterman into a bustly
Speaker 1: command center, a coordinated assault on the wilderness. Acting Captain
Speaker 1: Ryan A. Vienna of the Crescenta Valley Station publicly expressed
Speaker 1: his gratitude for this extensive support, acknowledging the many search
Speaker 1: and rescue teams involved and thanking federal partners for their
Speaker 1: continued assistance. The search for Monica Rezi was a showcase
Speaker 1: of modern SAAR methodology, combining traditional boots on the ground
Speaker 1: searching with a sophisticated suite of technology from the air.
Speaker 1: The lasp's Air Rescue five helicopter became a constant presence
Speaker 1: scouring the canyons and ridges. It was supported by fixed
Speaker 1: wing aircraft equipped with high resolution imaging and unmannarial system owes,
Speaker 1: all aimed at spotting any sign of resin from above.
Speaker 1: On the ground, searchers employed a variety of tactics. In
Speaker 1: a statement, the Montrose ESSAYR team confirmed the comprehensive nature
Speaker 1: of their efforts. Quote we also want to assure the
Speaker 1: public that we are throwing every possible resource at this incident.
Speaker 1: To date, we've logged hundreds of search hours on the
Speaker 1: ground and in the air. Unmanned aerial systems, tracking, k nines,
Speaker 1: and specialized technology have all been used. Quote. This technological
Speaker 1: approach included working with experts to analyze cell phone forensic
Speaker 1: data to assist in identifying Monica's last known movements, a
Speaker 1: critical tool in establishing a more precise search area. The goal,
Speaker 1: as stated in a later debrief from Captain Vienna, was
Speaker 1: to leave quote nearly no available resource untapped. Despite the
Speaker 1: overwhelming force of manpower and technology, the search teams were
Speaker 1: confronted by formidable adveracary the mountain itself, the terrain where
Speaker 1: rezor was last seen is described as highly technical, exceptionally rugged,
Speaker 1: and steep, with punishing elevations that tested the limits of
Speaker 1: the searchers. The environment actively resisted the search, dictated and
Speaker 1: often defeating the tactics deployed. A telling example of this
Speaker 1: resistance was the use of canine units. According to a
Speaker 1: volunteer who was on the ground, search dogs were utilized
Speaker 1: on the first day, but were quickly deemed ineffective due
Speaker 1: to the harshness of the terrain and were not used
Speaker 1: on the trails thereafter. This is a significant detail as
Speaker 1: it illustrates conditions so severe that one of the most
Speaker 1: reliable tools in the Saar arsenal was rendered useless. Sergeant
Speaker 1: Gilbert confirmed that the initial efforts focused on the established trails,
Speaker 1: where searchers looked for reserve or any sign of distress
Speaker 1: such as discarded equipment or signs of an injury. When
Speaker 1: these grid searches yielded no the operation was forced to
Speaker 1: move into the far more dangerous off trail backcountry. This
Speaker 1: shift dramatically increased the risk to the searches themselves and
Speaker 1: exponententially expanded the search area into the chaotic landscape of
Speaker 1: steep ravines, dense chaparral, and rocky outcrops. The failure of
Speaker 1: such a massive, well equipped, and expertly coordinated operation to
Speaker 1: find any trace of Monicaresa after eight days as a
Speaker 1: humbling testament to the fact that even in the twenty
Speaker 1: first century, the wilderness can easily conceal its secrets from
Speaker 1: even the most determined human efforts. In parallel with the official,
Speaker 1: uniformed search for Monicaresa, a second civilian led effort rapidly
Speaker 1: took shape in the digital realm, Builed by a social
Speaker 1: media and a passionate local hiking community. This grassroots response
Speaker 1: became a powerful force for raising awareness. However, it also
Speaker 1: generated significant friction with law enforcement, creating a dynamic that
Speaker 1: has become characteristic of missing persons cases in the modern era.
Speaker 1: This parallel investigation revealed a fundamental tension between the public's
Speaker 1: desire for transparency and immediate action and the official need
Speaker 1: for procedural control and investigative discipline. Within hours and days
Speaker 1: of Resid's disappearance, the southern California hiking community mobilized online,
Speaker 1: most on popular forums like Reddit's r slash Social Hiking
Speaker 1: and r slash Hiking served as digital town squares. Issuing
Speaker 1: a call to action, One post implored users to quote
Speaker 1: joint hiking search parties and volunteer on the ground, and
Speaker 1: to share Monica's search campaigns and news stories to increase
Speaker 1: visibility end quote. The response was immedia. A Facebook group
Speaker 1: titled help Find Missing Hiker Monica Raza was created, quickly
Speaker 1: becoming a central hub for coordinating updates, sharing information, and
Speaker 1: organizing volunteer efforts. A meet up page was also established,
Speaker 1: seeking expert hikers, mountaineers, and operations volunteers to establish a
Speaker 1: base camp and provide logistical support, demonstrating a sophisticated level
Speaker 1: of self organization among the civilian volunteers. These online spaces
Speaker 1: quickly evolved beyond simple coordination hubs into active, crowdsourced investigation forums.
Speaker 1: With official information limited to press releases, users began to
Speaker 1: piece together clues, analyze inconsistencies, and formulate theories. Readit threads,
Speaker 1: in particular, became a repository appointed questions directed at the
Speaker 1: silent official narrative. As previously stated, Users with deep knowledge
Speaker 1: of hiking protocol questioned the separation of the group, the
Speaker 1: alleged lack of water, and reports that the hikers may
Speaker 1: have been running. This public discourse was not merely speculative.
Speaker 1: It was an attempt to apply logic to a situation
Speaker 1: that seemed to defy it. The community's disbelief was palpable
Speaker 1: in comments like that of a purported neighbor who was
Speaker 1: devastated and found it incomprehensible that someone could disappear from
Speaker 1: a group setting. This sentiment was echoed by many online,
Speaker 1: who expressed shock that an experienced hiker could vanish so completely,
Speaker 1: so close to their companions. The digital search party was
Speaker 1: not just looking for Monica resident, it was also searching
Speaker 1: for an explanation that made sense. This surge of public participation,
Speaker 1: while well intentioned, inevitably clashed with the protocols of the
Speaker 1: official investigation. Law enforcement's primary concerns in such situations are
Speaker 1: the preservation of evidence and the safety of the public.
Speaker 1: On the sixth day of the search, the Crescenta Valley
Speaker 1: share station issued a direct plea on its Facebook page
Speaker 1: asking the public to avoid the search area. The post
Speaker 1: explained the rationale clearly, quoting here, Uncoordinated foot traffic can
Speaker 1: unintentionally interfere with tracking, evidence, delayed progress, or even create
Speaker 1: new emergencies. Captain Vienna later reiterated this concern, noting that
Speaker 1: the area was highly technical and difficult for inexperienced hikers.
Speaker 1: This directive created a clear point of friction Unreddit. Some
Speaker 1: users immediately relayed the official message, urging volunteers to stand
Speaker 1: down and not interfere. However, others expressed frustration, with one
Speaker 1: user writing quote, meanwhile, the poor ladies out there dying
Speaker 1: while the gatekeepers make sure only they have access to
Speaker 1: vital information like sell pings quote. This comment encapsulates the
Speaker 1: core of the conflict, the public's belief in the power
Speaker 1: of numbers and open information versus law enforcements reliance on
Speaker 1: controlled methodical investigation. Some volunteers attend to navigate this stuff
Speaker 1: cult divide, with one searcher saying they had been checking
Speaker 1: in with SAAR daily to ensure we weren't in the
Speaker 1: way or covering the same ground now. This illustrates a
Speaker 1: delicate and often tense relationship between official responders and the
Speaker 1: passionate digitally connected communities that now invariably form around these tragedies.
Speaker 1: Monica res A case became a vivid example of how
Speaker 1: every modern missing person investigation is in reality two investigations,
Speaker 1: the official one bound by procedure and the public one
Speaker 1: driven by motion and the relentless logic of the crowd.
Speaker 1: Every large scale search for a missing person operates on
Speaker 1: a finite timeline, governed by factors of survivability, resources, and
Speaker 1: the diminishing probability of a successful rescue. For the search
Speaker 1: for Monica resident, that timeline reaches a conclusion after eight days.
Speaker 1: The official announcement that followed marked a profound and somber
Speaker 1: turning point, shifting the case from a hopeful rescue mission
Speaker 1: to a long term, uncertain investigation. This procedural change, while standard,
Speaker 1: carried immense weight, fundamentally altering the narrative of the case
Speaker 1: and the emotional landscape were all involved. On Sunday, June
Speaker 1: twenty ninth, twenty twenty five, exactly one week after Rezul
Speaker 1: was last seen, Acting Captain Ryan A Vienna of the
Speaker 1: Crescenta Valley Station issued a formal statement that officially changed
Speaker 1: the status of the operation. The language was precise and delivered,
Speaker 1: quoting here, while today concludes our initial response phase of
Speaker 1: this operation, the statement read, the investigation will continue by
Speaker 1: our Homicide Bureau Missing Persons Unit. This announcement did not
Speaker 1: mean the search was over entirely, but that its nature
Speaker 1: would change. Captain Vienna clarified that future search efforts will
Speaker 1: be limited and continuous as data and information further inform
Speaker 1: our efforts. He said the era of saturation searching with
Speaker 1: hundreds of personnel coming the mountain side was over. It
Speaker 1: would be replaced by targeted searches triggered only by new
Speaker 1: intelligence or specific leads. The mission had officially transitioned from
Speaker 1: one of active rescue to one of patient investigation and
Speaker 1: implicitly recovery. The transfer of the case to the Homicide
Speaker 1: Bureaus Missing Persons Unit is a significant development. While the
Speaker 1: unit handles all complex and long term adult missing person cases,
Speaker 1: not just those involving suspected murder, the name itself carries
Speaker 1: a heavy connotation for the public following the case. This
Speaker 1: move was widely interpreted as a sign that authorities no
Speaker 1: longer expected to find Monica Rezolive unredded. The speculation was immediate.
Speaker 1: Eight days seemed short when user wrote, I wonder if
Speaker 1: they have some strong evidence of foul play. In reality,
Speaker 1: such a handover is often a procedural necessity. The homicide
Speaker 1: Bureau's Missing Persons Unit is equipped for the slow, meticulous
Speaker 1: work of a long term investigation, a task that falls
Speaker 1: outside the primary mission of a rapid deployment SAAR team. Nonetheless,
Speaker 1: the public perception was powerful. The transfer signaled that the
Speaker 1: case had crossed the threshold, moving from the realm of
Speaker 1: hope into the colder, more methodical world of a potential
Speaker 1: crime for unexplained death investigation. This narrative shift was mirrored
Speaker 1: by a poignant change in the public posture of Monica
Speaker 1: Rez's family. In the first frantic days of the search,
Speaker 1: official statements consistently related that her family is concerned for
Speaker 1: her well being and asking for the public's health. This
Speaker 1: was a plea for mobilization, an attempt to cast as
Speaker 1: wide and as possible in the hope of finding her. However,
Speaker 1: Captain Vienna's June twenty ninth statement included a new and
Speaker 1: telling message, quote on behalf of family, we're conveying their
Speaker 1: request for privacy at this time. This transition from a
Speaker 1: public appeal to a privacy request marks the heartbreaking acceptance
Speaker 1: of a new reality for Monica Resla's family. The phase
Speaker 1: of public hope had ended, and a period of private
Speaker 1: grief and uncertainty had begun. The authorities acknowledged this immense
Speaker 1: emotional weight, with Captain Vienna stating our hearts go out
Speaker 1: to Monica's family, friends, co workers, and the community who
Speaker 1: have shown great concern for her disappearance. The case was
Speaker 1: no longer an active crisis to be solved by the community,
Speaker 1: but a heavy burden to be carried by our loved
Speaker 1: ones and a cold case file to be managed by detectives.
Speaker 1: The disappearance of Monica Resa, while uniquely tragic to her
Speaker 1: family and community, is not an anomaly. It's a chapter
Speaker 1: in the long and unsettling history of the Angelus National
Speaker 1: Forest as a place where people vanish. The forest vastness,
Speaker 1: challenging topography, and remote corners have made it a reoccurring
Speaker 1: setting for accidents, crimes, and enduring mysteries. Understanding this context
Speaker 1: is crucial, as it reveals that the forest is not
Speaker 1: merely a passive backdrop for these events, but an active agent,
Speaker 1: if you will, that facilitates disappearances and complicates resolutions. The
Speaker 1: official lists of missing persons in California contained numerous entries
Speaker 1: tied to the Angelus National Forest. Each case the story
Speaker 1: of a life interrupted by the wilderness. Several notable cases
Speaker 1: from recent decades illustrate the diverse ways in which the
Speaker 1: forest can become a place of tragedy, accidents, and environmental dangers.
Speaker 1: In July twenty twenty two, teenage couple Ethan Manzano and
Speaker 1: Sophie ray N Edwards disappeared while driving along the Angelus
Speaker 1: Crest Highway. Their story ended in tragedy when their Asuzu
Speaker 1: ascender was discovered at the bottom of a mountainside. Investigators
Speaker 1: leave their vehicle, hit a burm, lost control and rolled
Speaker 1: down the steep embankment, a stark reminder that the roads
Speaker 1: traversing the forest can be as dangerous as the trails
Speaker 1: or Recently, in October of twenty twenty four, eighty year
Speaker 1: old Gary Robert Nussel went missing while hiking in the
Speaker 1: Chantry Flat area, which had just reopened after a four
Speaker 1: year closure due to the Bobgat fire. This case, which
Speaker 1: remains unsolved, highlights how fire altered landscapes can disorient even
Speaker 1: local hikers and create new unforeseen hazards, And then there's
Speaker 1: foul play and concealment. The forest's remoteness has also made
Speaker 1: it an attractive location for those seeking to conceal criminal acts.
Speaker 1: In February nineteen ninety two, twenty year old model Kimberley
Speaker 1: Pandelios disappeared after telling her husband she was going to
Speaker 1: an outdoor photo shoot in the forest. A year later,
Speaker 1: her partial skeletal remains were discovered just yards from her
Speaker 1: witness at with a group of men. Her case was
Speaker 1: reclassified as a probable homicide and was eventually solved twelve
Speaker 1: years after her disappearance, when a convicted offender was tied
Speaker 1: to her demise through phone records. Then there's the case
Speaker 1: of Jonathan Aujay, an off duty LASD deputy, which is
Speaker 1: even more mysterious. He vanished during a run in the
Speaker 1: Devil's Punch Bowl area the forest on June eleventh, nineteen
Speaker 1: ninety eight. Despite extensive searches, he was never found, and
Speaker 1: his case remains an open wound for the department, shrouded
Speaker 1: in theories of foul play and internal corruption. These cases
Speaker 1: demonstrate that the wilderness can serve as both a lore
Speaker 1: for victims and a cloak for predators. Placing the Monica
Speaker 1: Resic case within this historical context reveals a clear and
Speaker 1: disturbing pattern The forest has been the site of disappearances
Speaker 1: and deaths pending decades, with causes ranging from tragic accidents
Speaker 1: to deliberate violence. Now here's a few other selected notable
Speaker 1: cases from the Angelus National Forest, illustrating the recurring nature
Speaker 1: of these events. July twelfth, nineteen sixty Bruce Howard Kremin
Speaker 1: disappeared and still missing. February fourteenth, nineteen eighty eight. Albert
Speaker 1: O'Leary still missing from the Angelus National Forest. Then January
Speaker 1: twenty five, twenty sixteen, George Serrano Zaldivar went missing and
Speaker 1: is still missing. May one, twenty sixteen, Michael Patrick Flynn
Speaker 1: missing from the Angelus National Forest, still missing. These cases
Speaker 1: provide powerful, undeniable evidence that the Angelus National Forest is
Speaker 1: a high risk environment. The variety of cases, accidents, homicides,
Speaker 1: and complete mysteries all share a common element the Angelus
Speaker 1: National Forest itself. It's steep terrain contributed to the fatal
Speaker 1: crash of Manzano and Edwards, its remoteness provided cover for
Speaker 1: the demise of pandelios and the disappearance of a jay,
Speaker 1: and its sheer scale and ruggedness have to date defeated
Speaker 1: all attempts to find Nutzel and now Monica Reza. This
Speaker 1: history serves as a somber warning that the forest demands
Speaker 1: a level of respect and preparation that is too often underestimated,
Speaker 1: with each new case reinforcing its reputation as a place
Speaker 1: where the line between adventure and tragedy is easily crossed.
Speaker 1: The case in Monica Reza remains suspended in the vast,
Speaker 1: indifferent wilderness of the Angeles National Forest. And experienced sixty
Speaker 1: year old hiker, she stepped into the mountains for a
Speaker 1: routine weekly outing on June twenty second, twenty twenty five, and,
Speaker 1: for reasons that remained entirely unknown, vanished from the trail
Speaker 1: and from the lives of those who do her. Her
Speaker 1: disappearance triggered an extraordinary response, a multi agency search operation
Speaker 1: of immense scale and technological sophistication that scoured the ruggedge
Speaker 1: rain around Mount Waterman for eight days. Yet the mountain
Speaker 1: kept its secrets and yielded no clues. The official conclusion
Speaker 1: of this initial response phase and to transfer the case
Speaker 1: to the LASD Homicide Bureau's Missing Persons Unit, marked a
Speaker 1: somber procedural in to the hope of an imminent rescue.
Speaker 1: The investigation remains open, however, a file waiting for a
Speaker 1: new lead, a chance discovery by a future hiker, or
Speaker 1: a piece of information that might finally illuminate the events
Speaker 1: of that Sunday morning. The central questions that arose in
Speaker 1: the first hours of her disappearance still linger unanswered and
Speaker 1: echoing in the public sphere. How and why did she
Speaker 1: become separated from her companion? What transpired on that ridge
Speaker 1: line between seven and eight thousand feet. The story of
Speaker 1: Monica Reza is a profile and painful reminder of the
Speaker 1: dichotomy at the heart of the San Gabriel Mountains. They
Speaker 1: are Los Angeles playground, a cherished source of beauty, solitude,
Speaker 1: and recreation for millions. But they are also a wild
Speaker 1: and unforgiving place, a landscape that does not distinguish between
Speaker 1: the novice and the expert, and that holds its secrets close.
Speaker 1: For her family, friends in the community that rally define her,
Speaker 1: her absence is a tangible grief for the public record.
Speaker 1: At this point, it's another name added to the long
Speaker 1: list of those whose stories into the question mark in
Speaker 1: the canyons of the Angels National Forest, a place where
Speaker 1: a person can step off a familiar path and simply disappear. Well, friends,
Speaker 1: there you have it. I look forward to your comments
Speaker 1: on this one, but please keep it friendly and respectful.
Speaker 1: I'm Steve Stockton. Until we meet again, I'll see you
Speaker 1: a little farther on down the trail. Stay safe out there,
Speaker 1: and please tell your animals I said hi.