Found Deceased CA - Rachel Nguyen, 20, & Joseph Orbeso, 21, Joshua Tree Nat'l Park, 27 July 2017 #1

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[h=1]Authorities searching for missing couple in Joshua Tree National Park[/h]
Authorities are looking for two people believed to have gone missing inside Joshua Tree National Park sometime around Thursday, July 27, officials say.

The two people, an Asian woman and a man, whose race was unknown, in their 20s, were supposed to have checked out of accommodations on July 28. They didn’t and their belongings were left inside their room, according to a news release from the park.
http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/2...r-missing-couple-in-joshua-tree-national-park

A vehicle belonging to the couple was found in the area of the Maize Loop, in the northwest area of the park, Land said.

All of the couple's belongings were left behind with no further contact to their room, he said.
A ping of the man's cell phone was recorded on at 4 p.m. Thursday from a location inside the park, Land said.

Joshua Tree National Park Search and Rescue, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol are involved in the ground and air search, using K-9 assistance, a fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news...-missing-joshua-tree-national-park/522731001/
 
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/north-view-and-maze-trails
North View and Maze Trails is a 6 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from March until September.
DESERT! :(

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http://z1077fm.com/couple-missing-in-joshua-tree-national-park/
A car belonging to the couple was found in the vicinity of the Maze Loop, in the northwest area of the park.

Searchers from Joshua Tree Search and Rescue, the Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol, as well as search dogs, are all looking for the missing couple. On Friday, searchers found tracks leading from the car into a canyon, but the couple has not been located yet. The search is continuing Saturday.
 
The Joshua Tree Search and Rescue Team was called in at 4 p.m. Friday and trackers found tracks near the missing couple’s vehicle, parked in the Maze Loop area, the team reported.

The volunteer rescue team believes they found the couple’s tracks heading north into a canyon.

“Several search teams were deployed with no results,” JOSAR reported on its Facebook page.

Search and rescue dogs were called in around 7 p.m. Friday and seemed to pick up a scent in the same area, according to JOSAR.
http://www.hidesertstar.com/the_desert_trail/article_495e951c-7499-11e7-bcb0-f77eed0e1344.html
 

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http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_36ecaa0c-74cd-11e7-b21d-7f12f205cac2.html

The couple is from Orange County, CA. A few key lines from the article:
There are a few possible clues:
A ping of Orbeso’s cellphone was recorded at 4 p.m. Thursday from a location inside the park.

Orbeso had been to the national park a couple of weeks ago to look at hiking trails. “He had been out here a couple weeks ago with another friend on a scouting trip, from what we’ve been told,” Messaros said.

Messaros has been trying to contact that friend to get an idea of where Orbeso might have been headed, but the friend is now in Japan and it has been difficult to get a hold of him.

Searchers do not know if the couple have any experience or skills in outdoor survival. “It appears they are very fit; they had a lot of athletic-type equipment in their car,” Messaros said. It is not known, however, if they took water or supplies with them on their hike.

The CHP contributed a fixed-wing aircraft and crew and the Sheriff’s Department has a helicopter on the search.

Some family members of the missing couple have come to the area and the incident command has assigned a liaison to them.
 
This is the Maze Loop trailhead. There teeny dirt parking lot is here. I think this might be where they parked the car, then headed north from there. Not certain though....

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...c83874d27ee16!8m2!3d34.0809653!4d-116.2422985
The car was indeed parked at this trailhead. If they continue walking north and easterly, there are subdivisions on the other side of the hills. I hope they have supplies with them.

http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/ar...1e7-b21d-7f12f205cac2.html?mode=image&photo=2

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http://www.jttortoisetelegraph.com/...9/Couple-Missing-in-Joshua-Tree-National-Park

Some key points from the article:
Note: The couple has been identified as Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 21, of Westminster, California.

Update: According to JOSAR, Joshua Tree Search & Rescue, the couple is believed to have been missing since around 6 a.m. Friday. JOSAR was called into action by 4 p.m. and had trackers processing the tracks near the couple's vehicle. They believe to have found the couple's tracks heading north into a canyon and several teams were deployed with no results.

Dogs were called in by 7 p.m. Friday and appeared to pick up a scent in the same area, while a helicopter was also engaged in searching for the couple.

The search continued at 6 a.m. today for searchers and trackers, with dogs brought in earlier. A call for mutual aid has gone out and searchers are currently staging at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center in Joshua Tree.


Update: 3 p.m., Saturday, July 29: As a thunderstorm moved into the area and flash flood warnings were broadcast on the radio, search and rescue teams continued their efforts to locate the young couple from Westminster that are missing in the national park. So far, no sign of the couple has been found, according to Dan Messaros of Joshua Tree National Park. Some family members have arrived in Joshua Tree.

Some power outages have been reported on the eastern side of Joshua Tree, and thunder was audible from the SAR staging area at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, where rangers were directing visitors to stay out of the center's parking lot which is serving as an active staging and planning area.

After we notified the U.S. National Weather Service in Las Vegas of the search underway and the flash flood warnings rangers are receiving, the NWS has informed us they are now in communication with dispatch to help provide up to date weather information for search and rescue efforts.

Update: 9:30 p.m., Saturday, July 29: San Bernardino Search and Rescue members also joined in the search. We received one unverified report that the couple had been found dead, but we have not had verification of this report, and we have some doubts as to the source. We want to stress that this report is unverified at this time. Temperatures hit near or above 100 degrees today, with high humidity due to thunderstorms in the area that reportedly closed the 29 Palms Highway between Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms for a portion of the afternoon.

As of this time, we have received no notification or update regarding the status of today's search, preparations for a search tomorrow, or any developments, from neither Joshua Tree National Park, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, or JOSAR, Joshua Tree Search and Rescue. The silence from all agencies and organizations is mystifying in that in normal search and rescue operations, at least one agency issues an update on the status of search and rescue operations and lets the media know what is planned for the next day. In this case, all there is from the agencies conducting search and rescue operations, is silence.
 
We frequently hike at JTNP but never in the summer. It's just too hot. There is very little shade and the temperatures are easily above 100 degrees pretty much every day. For me those conditions spell misery, but I also know there are others who enjoy the extreme weather and some who don't realize how extreme it really is. Regardless, LOTS of water is a must. Usually when people get into trouble hiking in the desert it's because they underestimated the amount of water they will need. At JTNP it is also easy to lose the trail if you venture off of it. There are washes out there that look like trails. In fact, many of the trails ARE washes. I am thinking these two lost the trail or followed the wrong trail and now SAR is doing their best to locate them.

In one of the articles I read (not linked here) it said there were heavy thunderstorms and flash flooding in parts of the park yesterday. That is terrifying, too. If you've never seen a flash flood in the desert, I highly suggest you watch a video on youtube. It will amaze and scare you.

ETA: GigTu, looks like we were posting at the same time. Your quoted post is the one I was referencing.
 
Other than succombing to the elements, what could cause BOTH to be incapacitated?

The JOSAR page looks like a good place to watch for updates. I'm really worried about these two and hope they are located safe. I'm not confident since there are no updates.... and the unverified comment we read above.

https://www.facebook.com/josarorg/
 
Other than succombing to the elements, what could cause BOTH to be incapacitated?

The JOSAR page looks like a good place to watch for updates. I'm really worried about these two and hope they are located safe. I'm not confident since there are no updates.... and the unverified comment we read above.

https://www.facebook.com/josarorg/

Flash flooding comes to mind. Also one being injured (snake bite, fall, etc..) and the other refusing to go get help and succumbing to the elements or trying to carry the other out and heat stroke.
 
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