Family of missing Joshua Tree hiker return to site where remains were found; backpack still had food and water - KESQ
Loved ones of Canadian hiker Paul Miller, whose remains were discovered in Joshua Tree National Park a year and a half after he went missing, were back in the desert Monday night to thank the many people who helped in the search efforts.
On an emotional hike, they returned to the spot where Miller's remains were found — seeing with their own eyes his final view before he died in July 2018.
"The remains were found in a slightly shaded area that we assume he sought shelter there from the sun while he was hiking," said Ainsley Otten, a family friend of the Millers.
For 18 months, the family has wondered and worried about what happened to Miller. Up until last month, there were no answers.
"We had dogs, we had I think people on horses, helicopters, airplanes," said Steve Cole, one of more than 100 search and rescue volunteers who canvassed the area around the 49 Palms Oasis Trail for five days when Miller went missing.
"It was in a wide place in the canyon hidden behind a rock, so it's very difficult to see where he was," said Joshua Tree National Park superintendent David Smith, who brought the family back to the spot Tuesday.
"I think it was very significant for them to be able to see what he saw the day that he died, and also just to say goodbye and have a connection with this place," Smith said.
