After 3 weeks of searching, body of missing runner Philip Kreycik found in northern California
Kreycik was a husband and a father of two children.
PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Police in the northern California city of Pleasanton announced Tuesday afternoon that they believe the remains of missing Berkeley running Philip Kreycik were found in the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.
A volunteer hiker actually found the remains. Kreycik was last seen on July 10, and since that time, hundreds have been searching for him.
Detectives could be seen Tuesday afternoon in the northern section of the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, shortly after a volunteer hiker came across human remains under an area of heavy brush.
"That person located a deceased individual matching the description of Philip Kreycik," said Lt. Erik Silacci of the Pleasanton Police Department.
Kreycik was a husband and a father of two children. The 37-year-old runner was last seen on July 10, and while an official ID has yet to be made, authorities are confident that this is in fact Kreycik.
The remains were found just off of a game trail used by animals, but one that could look like a normal trail.
"He was located about 250 yards off of that trail near a tree and that's what we know at this point," said Captain Lance Breed of East Bay regional Park District Police.
WATCH: Full press conference on body found in Philip Kreycik case
In the Pleasanton video showing where the discovery was made, you can see houses and neighborhoods in the distance.
From the ground we couldn't get close because of the terrain, but from our sister station ABC7's mapping system, you can see that Interstate 580 is just north of the northern ridge where the remains were found.
"Once we heard they found Philip, it was you know devastating, especially for the community because this just doesn't happen around here," said Justin Fisher who volunteered in the search during the first week. Fisher was one of the many who had been hoping for better news.
"We wanted to bring him home alive and safe so to deliver this news today is hard for all of us," said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.
Police say the investigation is still open, as they work to piece together a timeline and what happened to Kreycik that day.
"They deserve those answers," said Sgt. Ray Kelly of Kreycik's family.
Kelly also noted that officials will check their maps to see if they had previously searched the area where the body was found.
