Austin ISD teacher identified as dead hiker in El Paso

Christina Garcia-Mata, a teacher at Akins Early College High School in Austin, was identified as the hiker who was found dead in the Franklin Mountains in El Paso on Monday.

The El Paso Fire Department found a dead body after receiving a missing hiker report on Monday afternoon. Officials identified the body as Garcia-Mata of Austin on Tuesday and said the incident was an accident where a strip of water swept her away and she did not survive her injuries.

This is the first hiker death in the last few years, an EPFD spokesperson said. Officials advise avoiding the mountains during the rainy season.

The 39-year-old teacher had been teaching at Akins since 2006, where she has taught teen leadership, U.S. history, social and emotional learning and advancement via individual determination. She grew up in El Paso and attended college there at the University of Texas at El Paso, her biography on Akins site states.

Austin ISD will have guidance counselors available to students who may want to talk about the loss of Garcia-Mata.