Missing Pleasanton resident Jay Lafontaine found dead in Mono County

A Pleasanton, Calif., man was found dead 2.5 miles from his abandoned vehicle in the mountains around Bodie on Thursday.

Jay Lafontaine, 49, was reported overdue from a camping trip to Bodie and Death Valley on Dec. 2.

According to the Mono County Sheriff's Office, he last spoke to his wife on Nov. 27 and said he was going to spend the night in Bodie and then continue to Death Valley.

Pleasanton Police contacted Mono County authorities when LaFontaine didn't check in. Deputies conducted a search by vehicle at the time, but didn't locate either Lafontaine or the black Jeep Wrangler he was driving.

On Dec. 10 Mono searchers aided by a California Highway Patrol helicopter discovered the abandoned Jeep stuck in the snow on a U.S. Forest Service road.

Searchers took to snowmobiles to find Lafontaine and located his body. Authorities said he appeared to be the victim of hypothermia, but his death is still under investigation.