Human remains belong to missing hiker

Human remains found last month in a remote and rugged area of unincorporated San Mateo County off Skyline near Woodside belong to a 55-year-old San Carlos man who went missing while hiking last July, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said today (Jan. 26).

Douglas May was last seen at about 5:30 p.m. on July 16 when he left his home to go hiking, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

When he failed to return, his family became alarmed and contacted the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff’s deputies, volunteers and emergency personnel from other agencies scoured the rugged area where he was believed to have been hiking but didn’t find him.

On Dec. 27, a hiker spotted human bones west of the El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve and contacted authorities. It took sheriff’s deputies another day to reach the spot where the bones were found, sheriff’s Lt. Wes Matsuura said.

A DNA comparison confirmed Jan. 19 that the bones belonged to May, Foucrault said. He said the cause of death remains unclear.

“He only had partial remains so we weren’t able to determine why he died,” Foucrault said.