Couple found in each other’s arms in desert died of gunshots, police say

A couple found Sunday in each other’s arms after going missing three months ago in Joshua Tree National Park in California died of gunshot wounds, authorities say.

Detectives believe Joseph Orbeso, 22, shot Rachel Nguyen, 20, and then killed himself, reported the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Friday. An investigation into Orbeso’s actions remains open.

Nguyen and Orbeso, both from Orange County, Calif., had set out for a hike at Joshua Tree National Park east of Los Angeles on July 27, when temperatures in the park hit 100 degrees. A ping from Joseph Orbeso’s cellphone was recorded in the park that day. The owner of the AirBnB where they had been staying notified authorities when they didn’t check out the next day.

Searchers found their car at the head of the Maze Loop trail in the park but few other clues. Volunteer searchers scoured the park for days, using search dogs, helicopters and airplanes. Some searchers and dogs required rescue themselves after becoming injured or dehydrated in the harsh terrain, reported Joshua Tree Search and Rescue volunteers.

Volunteers donated more than 2,100 hours in the search efforts, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

The bodies of Nguyen and Orbeso were found in a remote area of the park at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a National Park Service press release.

Gilbert Orbeso, Joseph’s father, was part of the search party that found the bodies, reported KABC. Gilbert Orbeso had continued searching for the couple on weekends, aided by friends and volunteers, after the official search was called off.

On Sunday, he found pieces of clothing, water bottles and food wrappers in a wash two miles from the Maze Loop. He followed the trail to the two bodies, found embracing each other.

“I feel that we have closure and we know we found them. That was our main goal, to find them,” Gilbert Orbeso told KESQ on Sunday.

Joshua Tree National Park, in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, covers 792,000 acres, an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island, according to the National Park Service. A large part of the park is a designated wilderness area. About 1.4 million people visit the park each year.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Couple found in each other’s arms in desert died of gunshots, police say."