Ali Naderi, disappeared August 23, 2020, Eagle Mountain, British Columbia, Canada

Revised January 2024

Ali Naderi, 52, was last seen at the foot of Eagle Mountain near Coquitlam, British Columbia in Canada on Sunday, August 23, 2020.

Naderi was known to hike alone in the area almost daily, and a trail camera video showed him on the mountain the day he went missing.

Despite the compelling trail cam footage, an extensive search has failed to turn up any sign. Ali remains missing, with no remains found.

What is and where is Eagle Mountain?

Eagle Mountain, also known as Eagle Ridge, is in Indian Arm Provincial Park. It is a mountainous ridge with many indistinct summits between Buntzen Lake and Coquitlam Lake near Coquitlam, British Columbia. Its proximity to Coquitlam and the houses being built on its southern slopes (known as Westwood Plateau), make it a very popular weekend destination for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and ATV riding. There is a network of logging roads leading up the south side of the summit to a plateau area with lakes, hiking trails and mountain biking trails.

Who was Ali Naderi?

Ali Naderi was described as having a dark complexion with black, salt-and-pepper hair that curls over his ears and brown eyes. He was five-foot-10 and weighed 176 pounds. He was wearing dark shorts and a dark hiking jacket and carrying hiking poles.

The search for Ali on Eagle Mountain

Between 40 and 60 volunteers were involved with the search led by Coquitlam Search and Rescue with help from teams from North Vancouver and Lions Bay.

Police said there's been no evidence of foul play and that the case appears to be "a hiker who was simply unprepared for the conditions and has somehow gotten lost.”

Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a statement that search-and-rescue volunteers had searched every nearby trail and off-trail locations. “Given the timeframe that Naderi has been gone, his lack of supplies, and the vast backcountry where he went missing, it doesn’t make sense to continue searching and potentially put our SAR teams at risk.”

After seven days, the search was suspended. Over the week, a crew of 183 trained volunteers spent 2,400 hours searching using GPS, drones, helicopters, and search dogs. Police said the team covered 48,000 square meters of trail but that each day meant "entering riskier terrain with less certainty that they were looking in the right direction.

As of March 2021, no trace of Ali has turned up, and he remains missing. He regularly went up the mountain with limited supplies and knew the area well. It was warm during the summer, so hypothermia is not an explanation. Did he get lost and fall? Perhaps he was attacked by an animal? Or was it something altogether more mysterious?

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Sources

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ali-naderi-missing-hiker-eagle-mountain-search-suspended-1.5706530

https://globalnews.ca/news/7307908/coquitlam-missing-hiker-ali-naderi-search-suspended/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Mountain_(British_Columbia)