RAGDOLL MX Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Evan Tanner of Oceanside. SAN DIEGO – A body was found Monday during an air-and-ground search for missing mixed-martial arts fighter Evan Tanner of Oceanside, whose empty campsite was located Sunday in a rugged Imperial County area. The body was spotted Monday in the Palo Verde mountain area, about 60 miles northeast of Brawley, by a helicopter pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma who was participating in the search, said Imperial County Sheriff's Lt. George Moreno. An investigator from the county coroner's office was being flown in to retrieve the body. “About noon we located a body; as to whether or not it is him (Tanner) hasn't been confirmed,” Moreno said. A search for Tanner, 37, began Friday after friends who knew he had gone camping alone in Imperial County were concerned about his welfare. “He had not reported back or checked back with his friends, and they were worried about him,” Moreno said. Tanner, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight and a United States Wrestling Federation heavyweight champion, had driven to the area on an offroad motorcycle and was going camping, Moreno said. His friends, who had been sending him text messages, said he left Oceanside on Wednesday. The body was found several miles from a campsite that was located Sunday in the Clapp Springs area of the Palo Verde mountains, where authorities found Tanner's motorcycle and some of his equipment, Moreno said. Temperatures in the area were very high during the weekend, topping out at 114 on Sunday, Moreno said. On Saturday, Imperial County sheriff's Sgt. Clint Erro said the extensive group looking for Tanner included the sheriff's search-and-rescue team, the Marines, the Highway Patrol and the U.S. Border Patrol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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