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High-flying attorney, 49, is found dead on California mountain after he didn’t check out of his hotel
Winston Chu, a 49-year-old Silicon Valley patent lawyer, was found dead near the summit of Mount Whitney after failing to return from a hike. The Inyo County Coroner’s Office said he died from multiple traumatic injuries caused by a fall; authorities have not said when or how it happened.
Motel staff raised the alarm on 19 October after Chu missed checkout and left his belongings behind. A helicopter spotted him the following day at about 13,600 feet, but snow and hazardous weather delayed recovery until 25 October. Mount Whitney is 14,505 feet high, and Chu was on the steep Mountaineer’s Route, described as a 9.4-mile round trip.
In short
- Winston Chu died after a fall on Mount Whitney.
- His body was recovered five days after it was spotted.
- He was found below the summit on the Mountaineer’s Route.