BajaNomad

ITALIAN TOURIST FOUND

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-9-2008 at 09:44 AM

Yesterday searchers found the skeletal remains of Antonio Giardella an Italian tourist who disappeared five months ago. They found him 6 kilometros east of the cave paintings of Cataviña Baja California. An autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause and manner of death.



SOURCE: http://www.elvigia.net/noticias/?seccion=generales&id=48...


[Edited on 12-9-2008 by ELINVESTI8]

woody with a view - 12-9-2008 at 09:46 AM

that's crazy!!!why would he be EAST? what's out there???

[Edited on 12-9-2008 by woody in ob]

Barry A. - 12-9-2008 at 09:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
that's crazy!!!why would he be EAST? what's out there???

[Edited on 12-9-2008 by woody in ob]


-------he must have gotten 180 degree disoriented, or else he did it on purpose as a last farewell (????)

----it is strange to be walking "east".

Barry

BajaGringo - 12-9-2008 at 10:05 AM

Sounds to me like he got lost. That area in July can get very hot and heat exhaustion probably set in. Sad story...

DianaT - 12-9-2008 at 10:09 AM

Sad, very sad. We saw the poster in Catavina last time through and wondered if they ever found him.

David K - 12-9-2008 at 03:55 PM

For those who have not been to the painted cave near Cataviña, you can see Hwy. 1 from it... and hear the trucks on it... no way did he not know how to get back to Hwy. 1 from it.... The arroyo goes downhill/ downstream from the foot of the hill with the cave to the Hwy. 1 palm arroyo crossing... if he didn't take the shorter direct route.

lingililingili - 12-9-2008 at 04:02 PM

Does anyone know if this is the Italian Bicyclist that was missing?

mtgoat666 - 12-9-2008 at 04:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
For those who have not been to the painted cave near Cataviña, you can see Hwy. 1 from it... and hear the trucks on it... no way did he not know how to get back to Hwy. 1 from it.... The arroyo goes downhill/ downstream from the foot of the hill with the cave to the Hwy. 1 palm arroyo crossing... if he didn't take the shorter direct route.


actually, it would be easy to get lost at Catavina. lots of "caves" and rock art sites are found there besides the tourist stop you refer to, DK. easy to hike many kilometers to exploring the desert at catavina. and if you hike 6 K from highway and break your leg, knock your head, have a health problem, or lose your bearings - you wouldn't hear hwy, nor would anyone hear you screaming or see your signal fire.

sad to hear about it, but seems to be a relatively good way/place to go to nirvana of ever after, expiring in the wilderness, watching the stars overhead.

mtgoat666 - 12-9-2008 at 04:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
that's crazy!!!why would he be EAST? what's out there???

[Edited on 12-9-2008 by woody in ob]


the desert is out there. some people like it.

David K - 12-9-2008 at 04:44 PM

Note the location of Hwy. 1... then scroll east the 6 kms. where he was found, using your mouse (also can zoom in or out with roller on mouse).

Painted Cave near Cataviña, from space

David K - 12-9-2008 at 04:50 PM

Interesting is if you go 6 kms. east, you are here:6 kms. east of painted cave

Right on the road between Santa Ynez and Mision Santa Maria... ? Just a couple miles from the ranch!

wilderone - 12-10-2008 at 02:12 PM

Si, in July - very hot. If he went hiking in the arroyo you would lose your way unless you hike back the very same way. He may have tried to take a shortcut out of the arroyo and went the wrong way. Or the arroyo can get choked with mesquite and forces you take a detour - all those palms all look the same. Or maybe just stayed out too long and got dizzy from the heat and just didn't have the stamina to find his way out. I've been in similar circumstances - had 2 quarts of water for a one hour trip in 95 degree heat. Ran out of water in 1/2 hour, lost my map, and found it on the trail where I lost it because I hiked IN A CIRCLE. Had to hike from shade tree to shade tree - my heart was pumping wildly due to the heat. I can understand how this happened.

toneart - 12-10-2008 at 02:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Interesting is if you go 6 kms. east, you are here:6 kms. east of painted cave

Right on the road between Santa Ynez and Mision Santa Maria... ? Just a couple miles from the ranch!



That area is full of rattlesnakes. Maybe that's what got him.

[Edited on 12-13-2008 by toneart]

Additional information

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-10-2008 at 03:36 PM

http://www.elvigia.net/noticias/?seccion=generales&id=48...

Google Translation of article

David K - 12-10-2008 at 03:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ELINVESTI8
http://www.elvigia.net/noticias/?seccion=generales&id=48...


Found intact belongings Italian tourist died
Andres Perales, Cesar Cordova / THE VALLEY


The backpack that brought Antonio Giardella along with their skeletal remains.
El Vigia
2008-12-09 00:00:00
San Quentin B.C. - Watered by several points of the stream "Horses in the delegation of Cataviña, they found the skeletal remains of the Italian tourist Antonio Giardella, after five months remain missing, their belongings were untouched next to a rock.

Details of the Attorney General of the State (PGJE) in San Quintin, concerns that the foreign possibly died from dehydration due to high temperatures happened the seventh day of July, when they were allegedly lost, ranging to 45 degrees centigrade.

The remains were found last Monday at about 22 kilometers from Cataviña, in a rocky area at the East of the cave paintings, 550 kilometers south of the city of Ensenada.

To locate the corpse Simona Giardella, sister of the deceased, hired eight cowboys in the area, who are paid 300 pesos a day.

After three days of search crawlers found skeletal remains, though in doing so noted that missing limbs and skull, which were located at various points downstream

They also found a backpack green white stripe, and inside it were a case for glasses, a change of clothes, sunscreen and a camera with his sleeve, used to capture landscapes during the expedition.

Sources from the PGJE and elements of Expert Services who came to the place of discovery, possibly indicated that the limbs were torn by scavengers of the place, like coyotes and birds.

The skull of the Italian was in the bed of the stream and no signs of violence, even still had scalp, which will serve to practice DNA tests to confirm their identification.

Later the remains moved to the facilities of the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo), where they were turned over to the authorities.

The PGJE 1821/308/306 began the preliminary investigation for manslaughter, to rule out the possibility that she has been murdered.

Simona Giardella kept the memory of the camera, which he submitted to the authorities to know what his brother took pictures, and if they match the place where he was found.


Research lines

Lidia Aguilar Gallegos, deputy justice Ensenada area, reported that the remains were found 15 kilometers of road Transpeninsular, heading to the Gulf of California.

He said that there are two lines of investigation: the first is that not resist high temperatures and the second that could have been a victim of a venomous animal bite, which caused him to death.

"These are the two scenarios we have, and it may be that in both cases (now deceased) was disoriented and was attacked and dragged by the fauna of the place ... has no clothes torn, only themselves to the passage of time, and has no limbs, which suggests that an animal devoured it, "he concluded.

Miette - 12-11-2008 at 12:24 PM

My condolences to his family and friends.



I always mourn the loss of a fellow adventurer, as I feel a certain amount of kinship with people that enjoy hiking.

Skipjack Joe - 12-11-2008 at 01:37 PM

Six kilometers isn't that far from the highway. You could wait until dark and walk those miles. The lights of Catavina would guide you. Something else probably happened. Or else, he hiked a lot more than 4 miles but came within 4 miles of safety.

It's very sad. The desert is unforgiving.

Recently year a hiker died of heat in death valley on those dunes within eyesight of stovepipe wells. That couple had nowhere to hide from the sun and the heat radiating from that sand in july must be incredible.

toneart - 12-11-2008 at 04:42 PM

The article that David K posted suggested the possibility of a snake bite. I suggested that before the article was posted.

I hike that area and it is full of rattlesnakes. I don't let my dog run free there. The owners of Santa Inez Ranch lost a dog to a rattlesnake bite. She has a photo on the fridge inside the kitchen. She showed it to me when she saw my dog Paco,because Paco looks just like her deceased dog.

Another reason why you should use the buddy system when trekking or boating or diving, or these days....even driving. This is advice I sometimes violate because, if no one else is available, I will go anyway, with Paco. An adventure is not to be missed. The unfortunate Italian apparently experienced the ultimate adventure.

Sad! But stuff happens. :(

Hook - 12-12-2008 at 06:09 AM

Article mentions the body being 15 KILOMETERS from the highway. Very easy to get lost at that distance.

bajaboolie - 12-12-2008 at 08:32 PM

No comment yet on lingililingili's post about whether it was the Italian bicyclist or not. I also wondered the same thing when I first read the post.

Any info about that?

Bob H - 12-13-2008 at 09:04 AM

It woud be so easy to get lost in Catavina.... My wife and I were camping in San Ignacio and I went for a small hike ... and after about 20 minutes of walking I got lost and didn't know what direction to take to get back to camp. I was lost for about an hour before I made it back to a recognizable part of town and then back to camp. I can imagine that walking around the desert in Catavina is much worse.
Bob H

bacquito - 12-13-2008 at 01:27 PM

There is an article about this event in ensenada.net. I cannot cut or paste the article but it is interesting. the fellow survived 6 days!

How do they know?

Dave - 12-13-2008 at 02:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bacquito
the fellow survived 6 days!


Did he leave a note?

bacquito - 12-14-2008 at 04:43 PM

Italiano Giardella, sobrevivíó seis días.

Por Elizabeth Vargas

Perdido en el desierto, racionando sus escasos alimentos, intentando extraer agua de un cactus, el Italiano Antonio Giardella luchó hasta el último momento por sobrevivir, con la esperanza de ser encontrado en un sitio donde nadie lo buscó y en donde se estima que se mantuvo vivo al menos seis días antes de morir.

Giardella había viajado a Baja California en busca de la historia agreste que guarda la península y que habla de misiones, de pinturas rupestres, de paisajes desérticos y especies únicas. Uno de esos puntos era Cataviña, un punto ubicado al centro de la península, a 550 kilómetros al sur de Ensenada, la cabecera municipal.


Su historia final, quedó documentada en una parte, gracias a su cámara fotográfica, la que lo acompañó hasta su muerte y con la que se puede determinar un lapso de 14 horas entre las 10 y media de la mañana del 8 de julio del 2008 y la madrugada del día 9, donde algo muy grave le ocurrió, ya que a partir del 9 de julio, las fotografías que se toman, tienen un ángulo donde el fotógrafo parece que ya no esta en pie.


Simona Giardella su hermana y Paolo Bazzoli su cuñado tuvieron que encabezar la búsqueda, desesperados ante los pocos resultados logrados por quienes como residentes del sitio, tuvieron mas posibilidad de buscar y encontrar a su hermano, pero al parecer no lo hicieron con el mismo ahínco.


A Simona se le quiebra la voz y se le humedecen los ojos cuando recuerda el tercer día de búsqueda el 8 de diciembre, cinco meses después del extravío, que fue cuando finalmente localizaron la osamenta de su hermano.


La encontraron en una zona que los lugareños conocen como “El aguaje del caballo” un arroyo que aunque llega a las Pinturas Rupestres, no es el principal de la zona, donde meses atrás lo buscaron junto con protección civil, llegando a un escaso kilómetro donde finalmente hallaron los restos.


Simona, explica que ella no podía creer que fuera Antonio, porque los restos eran de la parte del tórax, que luego tomó forma pero que ella pensaba pertenecían a alguien mas bajo, su hermano medía 1.88 de altura, pero finalmente las ropas halladas junto a los restos despejaron la duda, así como sus propiedades intactas.


Los rastros dejados por Antonio antes de morir, hablan de su intención de luchar hasta el último, para sobrevivir, tomando para ello, decisiones que debieron ser dramáticas.


Entre estas, se advierte, la apariencia de haber racionado su alimento, consistente en un paquete de pan dulce, una barra de dulce, una barra de crema para la resequedad de los labios, un recipiente metálico que siempre llevaba consigo con agua y una botella de agua mas, que finalmente se le acabaron por lo que optó por beber su propia orina para mantenerse hidratado.


La memoria de la cámara fue rescatada por Simona para saber que ocurrió con su hermano, ya que éste en sus travesías, acostumbraba fotografiar constantemente y documentar con ello sus viajes.


Aparecen así, fotos de su llegada a Cataviña, del poblado, de sus habitantes de las plantas y el paisaje del lugar, igual como había fotografiado antes otras ciudades de Europa y de África.


Su llegada fue el 7 de julio del 2008 y al día siguiente; el 8 de julio, inició su caminata muy temprano con rumbo a las pinturas rupestres donde tomó varias fotos, una de estas es el acceso a un arroyo a la orilla del cual finalmente en uno de sus afluentes fue localizado.


La última foto tomada con cuidado es del día 8 de julio del 2008 exactamente a las 10:36 de la mañana y luego hay 14 horas perdidas para generarse una nueva imagen a oscuras y sin flash el 9 de julio en la madrugada.


Esto lo repite en total con 270 imágenes, la mayoría oscuras e inteligibles, excepto de sus alimentos y agua.


Finalmente Antonio toma una foto mas, la última, el 13 de julio a las 1:51 de la mañana a escasos 200 metros del lugar donde finalmente se encontraron la mayor parte de sus restos cinco meses mas tarde.


Estos restos, se presume que tras morir Antonio, fueron desparramados en una amplia zona por los depredadores que habitan el desierto, como zorras, coyotes, pumas y aves de carroña.


¿Qué ocurrió? Simona busca una respuesta pero duda que la pueda encontrar en México, se presume que pudo picar a su hermano un animal ponzoñoso abundantes en el verano y en el desierto, serpientes o insectos.


Los agentes Ministeriales llevaron entre los objetos de su hermano dos recipientes con orina, que pudieran ser analizados por un especialista en busca de toxinas, hay restos del cabello que también pudieran servir.


Su hermano Antonio, señala Simona, era su mejor amigo junto con el que quedaron huérfanos siendo adolescentes, lo que hizo que entre ambos siempre se protegieran.


Su madre murió siendo ellos muy jovencitos y una tía de 74 años de edad ahora, es la que hizo el papel de madre, la que estaba desesperada por viajar a esta península para ayudar a buscar a su sobrino.


Antonio al morir tenía 39 años de edad, era un exitoso profesor de informática en Bresia una ciudad al norte de Italia y cumpliría 40 años el 24 de noviembre.


Hoy Simona esta en espera de recuperar los restos de Antonio, pero aun cuestiona porque en la comunidad no lo buscaron, porque inventaron historias de un viaje que nunca hizo de regreso a Ensenada, porque nadie rastreo las huellas y se planteó la búsqueda al lado opuesto donde finalmente, con cinco meses de muerto fue encontrado.

wilderone - 12-15-2008 at 11:21 AM

Bable Fish translation:

Its final history, was documented in a part, thanks to its camera, the one accompanied that it until its death and with which it is possible in the morning to be determined a lapse of 14 hours between 10 and the average one of the 8 of July of the 2008 and dawn of day 9, where something very serious happened to him, since from the 9 of July, photographies that are taken, they have an angle where the photographer seems that this no longer still on. Simona Giardella their sister and Paolo Bazzoli their brother-in-law had to head the search, desperate before the few obtained results by those who like residents of the site, had but possibility of looking for and of finding their brother, but apparently did not do it with the same zeal. To Simona him bankruptcy the voice and becomes damp the eyes to him when it remembers the third day search the 8 of December, five months after the deviation, that was when finally they located the bones of his brother. They found it in a zone that the villagers know like “the rising tide the horse” a stream that although arrives at Cave paintings, is not the main one of the zone, where months looked for back it along with civil defense, arriving at a little kilometer where finally they found the rest. Simona, explains that she could not think that outside Antonio, because the rest were of the part of the thorax, that soon took form but that she thought belonged to somebody but low, their brother measured 1,88 of height, but finally the clothes found next to the rest cleared the intact doubt, as well as its properties. The signs lazy by Antonio before dying, speak of their intention to fight until the last one, to survive, taking for it, decisions that had to be dramatic. Between these, it is noticed, the appearance of to have rationed his food, consisting of a sweet bread package, a candy bar, a cream bar for the resequedad of the lips, a metallic container that always took with himself with water and a water bottle but, that finally finished to him reason why it chose to drink his own urine to stay hydrated. The memory of the camera was rescued by Simona to know that it happened with his brother, since this one in its passages, was used to photographing constantly and documenting its trips in this way. They appear thus, photos of its arrival to Cataviña, the town, its inhabitants of the plants and the landscape of the place, equal since it had before photographed other cities of Europe and Africa. Its arrival was the 7 of July of the 2008 and on the following day; the 8 of July, initiated their very early long walk in the direction of cave paintings where it took several photos, one of these is the access to a stream to the border of which finally in one of his affluents it was located. The last photo taken with care is of day 8 of July of the 2008 exactly to the 10:36 in the morning and soon a new image and without July flash are 14 hours lost to be generated in the dark the 9 at dawn. It altogether repeats it to this with 270 images, the majority dark and intelligible, except of his foods and water. Finally Antonio takes a photo but, the last one, the 13 of to in the morning little July to the 1:51 200 meters of the place where finally were most of their rest five months later. These rest, are presumed that after dying Antonio, they were scattered in an ample zone by the predators that inhabit the desert, like vixens, coyotes, pumas and birds of carrion. What happened? Simona looks for an answer but doubt can find that it in Mexico, is presumed that it could prick to his abundant brother a ponzoñoso animal in the summer and the desert, serpents or insects. The Ministerial agents took between the objects of their brother two containers with urine, that could be analyzed by a specialist in search of toxins, are rest of the hair that also could serve. His Antonio brother, indicates Simona, was his better friend along with the one than they were orphaned being adolescent, which caused that it always enters both protected themselves. Her mother very died being they youngsters and an aunt of 74 years of age now, is the one that played the role of mother, the one that was desperate to travel to this peninsula to help to look for its nephew. Antonio when dying had 39 years of age, was a successful professor of computer science in Bresia a city to the north of Italy and would fulfill 40 years the 24 of November. Today Simona this awaiting recovering the rest of Antonio, but even questions because in the community they did not look for it, because they invented histories of a trip that never did from return to Cove, because nobody tracking the tracks and alongside considered the opposite search where finally, with five months of dead was found.