Indian-origin student, who went missing during solo hiking trip, found dead in California’s Sierra Nevada
An Indian-origin student, who had gone missing during a solo hiking trip in eastern Sierra Nevada of California, has been found dead, said authorities. The deceased was identified as Vikram Mubayi, who was a PhD student at the Department of Chemical Engineering in University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Mubayi had gone for a solo hiking trip in the Big Pine Lakes area of Inyo National Forest and last contacted his family around 8.30 pm on August 1 before going missing after which a search and rescue operation was launched by the Inyo County Search and Rescue, and the California Highway Patrol. However, his body was recovered on August 3.
It is not clear how Mubayi lost his life and reports indicate that there are no signs of foul play. However, an investigation remains underway. An official statement is still awaited and an autopsy will also be conducted by authorities.
A report by The Daily Nexus states that Mubayi was born and raised in Hong Kong, with his family members and siblings describing him as a “fairly experienced hiker”. Mubayi, in a self-written biography on Illini 4000 which is a student-led non-profit, said he loved sports and “being outdoors”.
He said he “got into hiking and tennis pretty much” after he learned walking, thanks to his mother. He also claimed that he is an expert in cycling.
Meanwhile, his UCSB profile states that Mubayi was pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Before beginning his PhD, Mubayi completed his bachelor in science’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2022.
In his bio at the UIUC, Mubayi said he hopes to “join synthetic biology startups to continue investigating ways to mitigate global warming”. “After completing my PhD, I plan to explore the chemical/ bioengineering applications toward environmental sustainability,” the bio stated.
“After graduating and before starting my PhD in chemical engineering at UCSB, I will be cycling 4500 miles from New York to San Francisco with Illini 4000 to raise money for cancer research and patient support services,” it added.
