Identity of Romero Trail Hiker Released

Friday afternoon authorities responded to a hiker’s distress call made about two miles from the top of the Romero Canyon Trail off East Camino Cielo.Sergeant Williams of Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department confirms the identity of the hiker as 36 year old Nicole Ruth Peters. Dispatchers were able to get a fix on the hiker’s location using her phone’s GPS coordinate however, because of the remote location, it took a Santa Barbara County’s Sheriff’s Department Search & Rescue helicopter assisting ground crews more than an hour to reach the hiker.Peters’ body was discovered with her three dogs by her side at approximately 2:15 p.m.She was air lifted from the site and her dogs were turned over to Santa Barbara County Animal Control. Although it’s still unclear what exactly led to Peters’ death, authorities are reminding hikers to stay hydrated and to let someone know where they’ll be going.Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue, the U.S. Forest Service and AMR also assisted in Friday’s emergency response.