Missing person found dead in Alpine

Alpine County resident William "Bill" McKinnon was found dead at 1 p.m. Thursday in Hope Valley.

The cause of death has not been determined. An autopsy and a toxicology report are pending said Alpine County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Barbara Peach.

The Alpine County Sheriff's Office received a report of a missing person at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. The 44-year-old was last seen on June 30 at 5 p.m.

Volunteer search-and-rescue teams from Calaveras County, El Dorado County, Tuolumne County and a California Highway Patrol helicopter assisted the search.

McKinnon's niece Molly Burgess, a Sacramento resident, said Thursday that McKinnon had probably gone hiking since he was an "avid hiker."

McKinnon had 13 brothers and sisters, she said.