Searchers Discover Alta Loma Man Dead Near Barstow

BARSTOW – Police are saying the body of an Alta Loma man found east of Barstow on Wednesday morning was not the victim of foul play.

Searchers found the body of Issa Albert Simon, 30, at 5:40 a.m. after he was reported missing since Monday night. Searchers covered a wide area during the search. Simon, who was visiting a Barstow area religious retreat, was last seen on Monday.

The St. Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery

Officials became concerned when members from the retreat contact San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department personnel to file a missing persons report. Part of the concern was weather conditions and Simon not being in possession of proper hiking gear. When the search team discovered Simon’s body, about eight miles from the retreat location in a rural mountainous area of Newberry Springs, it had been two days since he had last been seen. A Search and Rescue Team, which included a helicopter from nearby Fort Irwin, was convened to conduct the search.

The St. Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, which sits on about 360 acres in Newberry Springs, is located in a mostly remote desert location. Friends reported seeing Simon for the last time at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, not attending an 8 p.m. service. Nor was he seen for the rest of the night or the next day.

“They were concerned,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman, “because he had left his belongings behind.”

Along with helicopters, tracking devices and all-purpose vehicles were used to search the rugged terrain. Bachman said that at 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, the search team discovered tracks and saw marks where the man might have fallen. A couple hours later, his body was discovered. Bachman said an autopsy will be conducted this week to determine the exact cause of death.

Read More:

Desert Dispatch: Body of Alta Loma man found in Newberry Springs

Daily Bulletin: Body of Rancho cucamonga man found east of Barstow