Jolissa Fuentes Missing Case: California Woman's Body Found 2 Months After Her Disappearance

A 22-year-old California woman who has been missing since early August was found dead inside her vehicle. The body of Jolissa Fuentes, from Selma, was discovered at a crash scene in Fresno County two months after her disappearance, police said Tuesday.

Jolissa was reported missing by her family on Aug. 7 after she was seen leaving a local convenience store in the early hours of the day. Jolissa was driving a 2011 silver Hyundai Accent and was on her way back home from a family gathering. Her family did not hear from her after that.

During the investigation, cops got evidence that Jolissa's car had run off a road on a cliff in the rural area of Fresno County, north of Pine Flat Lake. After an intense search in the heavily wooded area using drones, the cops located her vehicle at the foot of the cliff. Investigators then used ropes to rappel down over 400 feet and discovered her body inside the car, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said in a press conference Tuesday.

Jolissa's parents, Joey Fuentes and Norma Nunez, thanked law enforcement officials and the public who helped them in the search for their missing daughter.

"I want to thank the community, not just the community, this whole nation. The cries and the pain of my wife and my sisters and my family was heard around this whole country," a heartbroken Joey said.

The grieving dad extended his special thanks to Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz, who led the investigation and located the crash site, CNN reported.

"He [Alcaraz] promised me he would find her...he kept his word," Joey said, calling the officer a "hero."

During the initial stages of the investigation, cops traced Jolissa's cellphone data to the nearby city of Sanger, up to the Avocado Lake and Pine Flat area. Three weeks into her missing, investigators decided to treat it as a criminal case as they could not locate her or find her vehicle.

Police have not determined the cause of the crash but they do not suspect foul play in the case. Officers believe Jolissa might have fallen asleep while driving, tired from staying late at night.

The crash will be investigated by California Highway Patrol.