Calabasas Hiker who Died on Mt. Shasta Identified

SISKIYOU COUNTY, CA--The 56-year-old Calabasas resident who died on Mt. Shasta last week was identified on Wednesday by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department.

The body of Jennifer Zinck was discovered by authorities on June 29, said Dispatcher Dennis Moser. She had left for a hike on Mt. Shasta on June 26 with climbing partner John Vajo, 53, of West Hills, according to a sheriff's department press release.

They were caught in a snowstorm during their descent on Tuesday and took shelter in a tree well, the release read. Zinck complained of blurred vision, exhaustion and disorientation.

She stopped breathing around 10 p.m., Vajo told deputies. The following morning he hiked four-and-a-half miles until he located some road workers and borrowed one of their cellphones to alert authorities, according to the sheriff's department.

Zinck's body was found after a joint search between the Sheriff's Department's Search and Rescue team, members of the U.S. Forest Service, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the city of Weed Fire Department, the press release read.

Zinck was pronounced dead the scene and airlifted by a California Highway Patrol helicopter. An autopsy is still pending, according to the Redding Record Searchlight.

This is an ongoing story. We will bring you more details as they develop.