Found Deceased CA - Jie Song & Yinan Wang, 31, Sequoia National Park, 6 Aug 2017

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LisaWL7TR

LisaWL7TR

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Two people are still missing five days after they were seen in Sequoia National Park.

Jie Song and Yinan Wang were last seen Sunday around 2 p.m. after they toured Crystal Cave.

Their plan was to go to Kings Canyon National Park and stay the night in Fresno. They had reservations in Yosemite National Park for August 7, but never showed up.

Song and Wang’s car is a white 2012 Ford Fusion sedan with license plate number 6XMM431.

http://fox40.com/2017/08/11/2-reported-missing-after-touring-cave-in-sequoia-national-park/amp/

fadc9e6aa71789dbb17a6175cb90f2ad.jpg


a73525ddc6c4990a4e86c867953770a2.jpg
 
Kings Canyon....I was there back in late May. The river was absolutely frightening back then. The manager of the place we stayed in by the river (Cedar Grove Lodge) told us that 4 teens had already died in that river before the camping season had even started. Exploring the area, we drove on a gravel side road, isolated with no other vehicles, away from the main road, and I remember that at some point we were along the river again before we turned around. I hope they are searching these areas. There were also some hiking trails and warnings about the bear populations. Ugh I hope they are ok.
 
These maps show the area. They would have left Crystal Cave and taken Generals Highway north into a little bit of King's Canyon before heading west on 180 to Fresno for the night. From there they would take 41 into Yosemite National Park. Generals Highway isn't an easy drive. Lots of curves. They might have been a little pushed for time leaving Crystal Cave at 2:00 pm and trying to get to Fresno after visiting Kings Canyon briefly. We don't know if the got to Kings Canyon or Fresno, just that they didn't show up in Yosemite for their reservation. A lot can happen. Hope it didn't.

This shows the roads within the parks.
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/SEKImap3_2015.pdf

This map shows the route they would take to Fresno and Yosemite.
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/upload/SEKImap2.pdf
 
They look like such a cute couple! I hope they are found safe soon. Here is some more exact information on where they were last seen and where they were headed:

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article166869202.html

The couple was last seen in Sequoia National Park at about 2 p.m. Sunday at the junction of Crystal Cave Road and the Generals Highway after taking a Crystal Cave tour. They intended to continue north to Kings Canyon National Park and stay the night in Fresno.
Click to expand...

Using that information, I went to google maps and got directions from Crystal Caves to Cedar Grove (the first location within Kings Canyon NP). That trip would take 2 hours, 6 minutes of mountain driving. That would place them in Kings Canyon NP at a little after 4 p.m (the visitor center closes at 5 p.m. according to google). Then about another 2 hours of driving to get to their motel in Fresno. See travel map at https://goo.gl/maps/zE8V5nVqKoo

My above timeline was based on them going to Kings Canyon NP proper. I know these forest areas all run into each other, so I went to the National Park Service to get the exact boundaries (https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/maps.htm). But, the couple might have meant that instead of going to Fresno right after seeing the Crystal Caves that they would drive northward through Sequoia NP on the Generals Hwy (Route 198), towards Kings Canyon NP, then turn west on Hwy 180 to Fresno (2 hours 29 minutes).
 
Lilibet--I wish I had seen your post before I had posted mine! I was checking my information before posting, and when I posted my information, my browser refreshed the page and showed your post! I'm glad that awareness of this couple's situation is growing. I hope they will be found quickly!
 
I'm hoping they simply misjudged the time it takes to drive those roads. It can be very misleading taking into account the curves and getting to destinations, not to mention various stops to look at scenery and take photographs, or to walk some inviting trails. I hope it's a matter of just having changed their plans and places to spend the night.
5 days though....
 
Those roads can be unforgiving for drivers that mighty not be confident. With the car still missing and knowing the types of roads they were driving on, I'm very concerned they went off the road somewhere. It would be impossible to search for them from anywhere other than the road side. LE needs to search the multiple possible paths they might have taken and try to see if there's any evidence of a car leaving the road. This is just horrible. :(
 
TatianaBarbie said:
They look like such a cute couple! I hope they are found safe soon. Here is some more exact information on where they were last seen and where they were headed:

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article166869202.html



Using that information, I went to google maps and got directions from Crystal Caves to Cedar Grove (the first location within Kings Canyon NP). That trip would take 2 hours, 6 minutes of mountain driving. That would place them in Kings Canyon NP at a little after 4 p.m (the visitor center closes at 5 p.m. according to google). Then about another 2 hours of driving to get to their motel in Fresno. See travel map at https://goo.gl/maps/zE8V5nVqKoo

My above timeline was based on them going to Kings Canyon NP proper. I know these forest areas all run into each other, so I went to the National Park Service to get the exact boundaries (https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/maps.htm). But, the couple might have meant that instead of going to Fresno right after seeing the Crystal Caves that they would drive northward through Sequoia NP on the Generals Hwy (Route 198), towards Kings Canyon NP, then turn west on Hwy 180 to Fresno (2 hours 29 minutes).
Click to expand...

Thanks for doing this. We were on the same track. :) It's confusing, but there's actually a little piece (like a peninsula) of Kings Canyon with the Kings Canyon visitor center near Grant Grove Village that they would have passed through and perhaps explored a bit without going all the way to the Cedar Grove visitor center in the main part of the park. If they went all the way to Cedar Grove, they would have been really pushed, but that may be the cause of whatever happened. The section of 180 going east through Sequoia National Forest to the National Park is right along the Kings River in parts, and we know what that looks like! I assume their car has not been found. It doesn't sound good. :(
 
we need a 'lost/missing hikers' forum

I can't keep the details separate anymore

hope this couple is found in time
 
Does anyone know who reported them missing? I only see "they were reported missing". Was it family? I wonder if they kept in regular touch with someone. I doubt it was the Yosemite hotel....would think there are no shows now and again. Maybe though.
Cell phone service can be spotty in the area. Just hope that they ended up in some other place they liked and stayed for a while, and are safe....but 6 days with no word is very concerning.
 
whitelilac said:
Does anyone know who reported them missing? I only see "they were reported missing". Was it family? I wonder if they kept in regular touch with someone. I doubt it was the Yosemite hotel....would think there are no shows now and again. Maybe though.
Cell phone service can be spotty in the area. Just hope that they ended up in some other place they liked and stayed for a while, and are safe....but 6 days with no word is very concerning.
Click to expand...

If they had reservations at a hotel or campsite, Yosemite would just rent it to someone waiting around for a no show. We've done that at the Lodge. So I would assume family reported them missing. It would be great news if they went somewhere else, but blowing off Yosemite and a reservation is pretty unusual. I'm worried about them. Such a cute couple.
 
Wang has connections to San Diego. Song is from China. He must have been showing her the wonders of California. :(

Mike Theune, public information officer for the park, said Wang has connections to San Diego while Song is from China. NPS officials are working with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) to track down from information on Wang.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Jie-Song-Yinan-Wang-Missing-Visitors-Sequoia-National-Park-Kings-Canyon-440073533.html
 
Googling Yinan Wang, I'm seeing several links to the same name, a post doc in Chemistry at UCSD. This may be the same person.
 
whitelilac said:
Googling Yinan Wang, I'm seeing several links to the same name, a post doc in Chemistry at UCSD. This may be the same person.
Click to expand...

I saw that too. Looks similar, but I'm hanging onto my links until it's confirmed. The one I'm looking at is married to someone with the last name Song, but she has an English first name (very common).
 
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