Indian Student Found Dead After California Hiking Trip

Article by Kumar Published on: 11:34 am, 7 August 2026

In recent times, a number of Indian origin individuals died abroad during adventurous activities like hiking. Now, another Indian student who went missing for two days has been found to be dead in California, USA.

The victim Vikram Mubayi, an Indian origin PhD student has been found dead after missing during a solo hiking trip in California’s Big Pine Lakes area. Mubayi was a doctoral researcher in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

His body was recovered on August 3 after an extensive search by local rescue teams. Officials have said there is no sign of foul play, but the case is still under investigation.

The incident came to light after Mubayi’s family lost contact with him on August 1. Before communication stopped, he had shared his GPS location with his family while hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Authorities later located his body in the Big Pine Lakes area. Investigators have not revealed the exact cause of death or explained how he entered the water.