Officials are treating the woman’s death near Sykes Hot Springs as suspicious as investigators await autopsy results.
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — A woman found dead along the Pine Ridge Trail near Sykes Hot Springs in Big Sur is the focus of a suspicious-death investigation after hikers who came upon her body described a troubling scene in the backcountry.
The woman’s body was first spotted Thursday morning by a group of hikers returning from a two-night trip in the area, according to KSBW and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Her death is important to local authorities because the cause remains unknown, no one has been arrested, and the trail area is one of the region’s best-known wilderness destinations. Investigators now are waiting on forensic findings to determine whether foul play was involved.
Hikers told KSBW they came across the woman’s body Thursday near the popular Sykes Hot Springs area off Pine Ridge Trail. Gabe Holmes said the woman appeared pale and had visible injuries, including marks around her neck and a large wound to her head. The group later gave statements to first responders after leaving the wilderness. Their account added urgency to a case that had already become difficult because of the trail’s remote setting and the limited access for rescuers trying to reach the scene.
The hikers also said they encountered a man who identified himself as the woman’s friend. According to the group, he appeared shaken, cold and unsteady. John Heerema said the man looked scared and numb, while Luke Heerema said the group tried to stay cautious as they spoke with him. The hikers said the man told them the woman had gone to the river around 10:30 a.m. to clean herself off and that he later found her face down in the water. Authorities have not publicly identified the woman or released details about her relationship to the man.
Monterey County authorities have said the woman’s cause of death is still unknown. The sheriff’s office has not announced an arrest and has said there is no current threat to people hiking or camping near Sykes Hot Springs. That public statement has become an important part of the case because it suggests investigators do not believe there is an ongoing danger to other visitors, even as they continue to examine how a woman died in a remote but heavily visited part of Big Sur.
Recovery efforts were slowed by the terrain and changing conditions in the Ventana Wilderness. The sheriff’s office said California State Parks and sheriff’s deputies were notified April 9 after a body was seen near Sykes Hot Springs. Deputies were flown in with help from the California Highway Patrol’s H70 air unit late that evening and located the body, but weather conditions complicated retrieval. Search-and-rescue crews were eventually able to recover the body Friday afternoon, according to published reports and the sheriff’s office.
The next major step is the autopsy, which is expected to help determine how the woman died and whether investigators will pursue criminal charges. For now, the case remains open, the woman has not been publicly identified, and officials have released few details beyond the timeline of the discovery and recovery.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.