Arcadia firefighter’s body found near Sespe Creek

We are getting reports that the body of Arcadia firefighter/paramedic Mike Herdman has apparently been found in the wilderness near Fillmore.
Mike Herdman, 36, had last been seen June 13 by a firefighter colleague and friend whom he was camping with in the Sespe Wilderness. The pair chased after Herdman’s runaway dog, Duke, but they were separated and Herdman did not return to camp that night.
The discovery of Herdman’s body in a “rugged cliff area” was announced at a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office news conference about 4 p.m. Friday at Camarillo Airport.
According to multiple sources, Herdman was found 1,200 feet above and three-quarters of a mile away from Sespe Creek, where he was last seen, Ventura Sheriff Geoff Dean said.
The body was apparently discovered during a helicopter flyover Friday morning and was transported out and identified via dental records by a county medical examiner.
Herdman’s family has been notified.
The search for Herdman began June 16 and involved multiple agencies.
Last Sunday, Duke, Herdman’s dog, was found hungry and dehydrated at Dough Flat, where the hike began.

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