Bodies Of Joshua Tree Hikers Found Locked In Final Embrace
Two missing southern California hikers were found dead in a remote region of the Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday. Joseph Orbeso, 21, and Rachel Nguyen, 20, went missing in July.
A search team comprised of hundreds of members had been looking for the pair and the search ended Sunday when they found the bodies locked in an embrace. Joseph's father Gilbert Orbeso, was with searchers when the discovery was made.
"I believed that I was going to find them,” Gilbert, told ABC-affiliated KESQ-TV. “I didn’t know when, but I had my answer today."
"I feel like we have closure. We know we found them. That was our main goal, to find them," he added.
A formal identification of the bodies is yet to be made. It remains unclear as to what happened to the couple.
Joseph and his girlfriend were reported missing after they failed to check out of their accommodations near the park. Authorities said a ping from Joseph's cellphone had been recorded in the park the previous day and a few days later, the couple's car was found in the park.
Joseph's father found the body of his son when he walked a few miles from Maze Loop in the park, where the couple's car had been discovered. During the search, he found items of clothing, water bottles, and food wrappers. Before making the discovery, Gilbert had been searching for months for his son and his girlfriend over the rugged terrain of cliffs and boulders.
The bodies were found Sunday but they were recovered Monday, Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said, adding that autopsies will determine the causes of death.
"Joshua Tree - due to loss of daylight yesterday, the recovery of 2 missing hikers will occur this morning. ID’s will be pending autopsies," San Bernardino County Sheriff's wrote on Twitter.
After the couple was reported missing, authorities investigating their disappearance said that they did not believe that any foul play was involved in the case.
Joshua Tree National Park is in a remote area of eastern California, where the Mojave and Colorado desert ecosystems meet, according to the National Park Service.
"A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in a land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California," reads the National Park Service description.
According to Fox News, more than 1,000 deaths have occurred in National Parks in the last decade. These numbers do not include suicide cases but mostly are incidents caused by drowning or motor vehicle accidents.
Joshua Tree was among the Washington Post's listing of 10 most deadly national parks in 2014.
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