Recovery of a body on a ridge in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park concluded nearly a month of enormous search effort.
Police said the cadaver was believed to be Philip Kreycik, 37, who disappeared on July 10.
“Everything leads us to believe that we did find Philip up there on the ridge,” Alameda County Sheriff’s Office’s Sgt. Ray Kelly at a press conference on Tuesday. “Our mood is very somber. We wanted to bring him home alive and safe.”
“I know there will be a lot of questions … why didn’t we find him sooner?” the police said. “There’s a lot of factors at play, and nothing’s perfect. But a lot of energy went into this. We’ll treat this case with the utmost investigative integrity … to make sure we don’t miss anything, because at the end of the day, his family wants answers as to how and why. And they deserve those answers.”
According to East Bay Regional Park District Police Department’s Capt. Lance Brede, the deceased was recovered away from any trail. He noted that the location was not easily seen from the trail Kreycik took.
“We believe that Philip was located in a very remote are of the park,” Brede said. “It is not a designated trail. He was located 250 yards off the trail, near a tree.”
A volunteer spotted the cadaver on Tuesday at around 2:30, police said. It was found under the tree in the Pleasanton Ridges northern part.
The police suspected that the runner may have trimmed his planned route or became disoriented.
“The environment out there, it plays tricks on your eyes,” the police said.
This weekend, the police announced they have combed through “100%” of the possible locations the runner could be.
No indications of foul play is currently observed, Kelly said. The remains will also undergo identification, SFGate reported.
“We are heartbroken today. We send all our love and support to the Kreycik Family. Philip touched all of us who worked on the search team,” the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office expressed through a tweet. “We are thankful to our community volunteers and the people of Pleasanton who never wavered in their commitment. We will always remember Philip.”
Kreycik is a resident of Berkeley and was a P&G analyst and avid runner.
He went for a run at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park last July 10. He left his car at about 11 a.m. near the Moller Ranch staging area. His wife reported him missing after he failed to come back home that afternoon.
