RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Julien Hug, a former contestant on ABC's The Bachelorette, was found dead Wednesday in Riverside County, Calif.
Hug's body was found about 11 a.m. in a remote area off Highway 74 near Pinyon Pines, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. His cause of death is currently under investigation.
A missing person report was reportedly filed Monday for the 35-year-old Hug, who was not seen after leaving San Diego for Palm Desert, where his parents had recently purchased the upscale restaurant, Augusta.
Hug was the son of prominent San Diego restaurateurs Bertrand and Denise Hug, who own the popular Mille Fleurs and Bertrand at Mister-A's. He appeared on Jillian Harris' season of The Bachelorette in 2009.
"Please say a prayer for the loss of a friend this morning," Harris said Thursday on her Twitter page. "Life is fragile, don't forget to love the ones you love."
Kiptyn Locke, who competed alongside Hug on the reality show, also expressed his sadness, calling him "one of the most positive, standout people I have met."
"He was always trying to help other people," Locke told the UT. "From the very first time I met him, he was just a very selfless guy."
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