SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Authorities Thursday were seeking a 41-year-old man last seen at the DeAnza Springs Resort in Jacumba Hot Springs.
Derek Michael Barge was last seen at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department statement.
Campers found Barge’s cellphone on a trail southeast of the resort just before 8 a.m. on Sunday, and he was reported missing later that morning.
His family, who spoke to him over the phone Saturday night, said he is not an experienced hiker or outdoorsman. Barge’s family also noted he said he was having a “spiritual reawakening and wanted to visit a spiritual mountain,” according to the sheriff’s department.
San Diego Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue volunteers were called in to help search the area for Barge, but were called off due to excessive heat and dangerous rocky terrain. Helicopter units are reviewing search locations.
Barge is white, 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds, with short blonde hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at 858-565-5200.
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