BODY FOUND IN SNOW IDENTIFIED AS MISSING SANTEE MAN

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By Miriam Raftery

 

December 3, 2010 (Santee) –The body of missing Santee resident Bryson Lukacik, 22, was found this morning beneath the snow in Big Bear, just a couple of blocks from where he was last seen.

Bryson Lukacik graduated from El Capitan High School and played ball for the San Diego Stars semi-pro baseball club, Santee Patch.com reports.

According to the Big Bear Grizzly news, the discovery was made near a home close to the cabin where Lukacik and his family were vacationing over Thanksgiving. Lukacik suffered a head injury on Friday when he collided with another snowboarder and also reportedly fell from a chairlift, but didn’t tell family members about either incident until later, when a lump was visible on his head. He was disoriented and confused before leaving the cabin, acting as if he were back in Santee and talking about surfing.
 

Bryson went downstairs after talking with his family and was believed to have gone to bed. Shortly after midnight early Saturday morning, his parents heard the front door open and close, KUSI news reports, but by the time they got their boots and jackets on, he was gone. A search outside failed to find him. The family notified authorities and a massive search was conducted including search dogs and a helicopter.
 

A neighbor down the road from where Lukacik’s body was found told authorities that he saw Bryson the night he went missing and asked if he was okay. Bryson responded that he was fine, “just a little drunk,” KUSI reported.
 

The Union-Tribune reports that Lukacik’s father, Joe, said it appeared that his son was trying to get into a home and snow from the roof fell on top of him. "He basically froze to death in the snow," Joe Lukacik said.
 


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