The department said a team managed to climb into the remote, steep area and found the climbers killed at the scene.
IDYLLWILD, CA – Two rock climbers, including a former NFL player, were found dead near the peak of Southern California after rescue teams responded to reports of injuries, authorities said.
The two climbers were identified on Thursday as Chelsea Walsh, 33, and Gavin Escobar, 31.
Rescuers were called around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild after a distress call, the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said on Twitter.
The department said a team managed to climb into the remote, steep area and found the climbers killed at the scene.
A small amount of rain fell on the area earlier in the day, but officials did not immediately say whether weather was a factor in the deaths.
Escobar was a tight end for NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys in a reserve role from 2013 to 2016. He then had brief stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, ending his football career in 2019 with The American Football Alliance is now dissolved.
The department said Escobar was hired in February as a Long Beach firefighter.
Tahquitz Rock, with its steep granite cliffs, is a popular destination for climbers.
Two Los Angeles climbers fell 200 feet (60 meters) to their deaths on the rock in 2000, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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