SAN DIEGO ā A body was found Monday near the remote desert campsite where former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner went missing days before.
A helicopter pilot spotted the body in a rugged area of Imperial County near the California-Arizona border, said sheriffās Lt. George Moreno. Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the corpse, he said.
Tanner, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight and a United States Wrestling Federation heavyweight champion, has been missing since last week.
The 37-year-old had planned to take a trip to the desert since last month. On his weblog on Spike.com, Tanner described his fascination with the emptiness of the desert and preparations for the trip.
āI plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life,ā he wrote on Aug. 16.
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Sheriffās officials said family members kept in touch with Tanner with text messages since he left on Wednesday, and became concerned when he stopped responding.
Crews have been searching for Tanner since Friday.
Temperatures in the area were very high during the weekend, topping out at 114 on Sunday, Moreno said.
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