One of two climbers found dead near Idyllwild was former Dallas Cowboys player Gavin Escobar

Eliana Perez and Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read
10
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A former NFL player was one of two rock climbers who were found dead in a remote area near Idyllwild on Wednesday.

The Riverside County sheriff's coroner's office identified the victims as Gavin Escobar, 31, and Chelsea Walsh, 33, both of Huntington Beach.

Escobar played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys from 2013 to 2016 after being drafted by the team in the second round of the 2013 draft. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds, he had 30 receptions and eight touchdowns in his 62-game NFL career.

Cal Fire said a climbing accident involving two injured people was reported around noon Wednesday near Tahquitz Rock in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Firefighters hiked to the spot and found both of them dead.

Officials indicated that the victims died while climbing a “rock face,” but no other details were available.

Escobar went to high school in Rancho Margarita and attended San Diego State University. He became a firefighter in Long Beach following his football career.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the off-duty death of Long Beach Firefighter Gavin Escobar. Hired on February 5, 2022, Firefighter Escobar was assigned to Fire Station 3 on B-shift," a post on social media from the department read. "Firefighter Escobar leaves behind his wife and two young children."

It is not known if Escobar was an experienced climber.

According to her family on social media, Walsh, a filmmaker and cinematographer, was an experienced climber.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Long Beach Fire Department (@longbeachfire)

Earlier Wednesday, rain and thunderstorms passed through the area, but weather has not been cited as a factor in the deaths.

At the start of the year, a hiker died at Tahquitz Peak, also in the San Bernardino Forest, after an apparent fall on rocky and remote terrain. In July, a hiker was injured on a trail east of Pine Cove, near Idyllwild, requiring firefighters to transport her down from a mountaintop.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar dies in rock climbing accident