A body found in Joshua Tree National Park on Monday has been identified as a San Diego teacher. According to a JTNP press release, on January 17, shortly before 10 a.m., the National Park Service responded to a report of a deceased man in the area of the Hidden Valley Nature Trail. Rangers located the 35-year-old San Diego man at the base of the Sentinal Wall a short distance from the Hidden Valley Nature Trail. The man was later identified as Michael Spitz in a Santa Fe Christian Schools Facebook post, where Spitz taught Spanish. While an official cause of death has not been released, the schools’ Facebook post states that Spitz died in a rock-climbing accident. The Facebook post continues that Spitz was a multi-sport adventure athlete and co-founder of Vida Outreach in Baja California, Mexico, an organization that helped families fight poverty. An interagency investigation is ongoing, led by Riverside County Coroner’s Office. Once the investigation is complete more details will be released.
