A sad story ends in the Joshua Tree wilderness

By the time the bodies of Rachel Nguyen and Joseph Orbeso were discovered in Joshua Tree National Park, the two hadn’t been seen for nearly three months.

They had been reported missing July 28 by the owner of a nearby bed-and-breakfast, who told authorities that the pair had probably gone hiking but never returned to check out.

Their disappearance set off a massive search — involving air- craft, dogs, horses and searchand-rescue workers on foot — in the vast, rugged national park. The day that Nguyen and Orbeso vanished, a park ranger discovered their empty vehicle near the park’s Maze Loop trailhead.

Orbeso’s father threw himself into the search efforts, scouring the rocky landscapes in the unforgiving desert heat for any signs of his son, according to the Desert Sun. Gilbert Orbeso told the newspaper that he had last seen his son on July 26, just before Nguyen had picked him up to go on the trip, which was to celebrate her birthday.

The two, from Orange County, Calif., had dated in the past and remained friends, the father added.

“Everything seems like it’s in slow motion, I think because of the waiting, the anticipation,” Gilbert Orbeso told the newspaper in August. “Going on these searches helps. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”

Through August and September, there would be nothing else that indicated the pair’s whereabouts. At last, on Oct. 15, a park ranger reported seeing “two deceased persons located inside ... a steep canyon to the far north of the Maze Loop Trailhead.”

The following morning, investigators went into the canyon by air to retrieve the bodies, which were soon identified as Nguyen, 20, and Orbeso, 22. Both had gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Department.

“Based on evidence located at the scene, detectives believe Orbeso shot Nguyen, then shot himself,” the statement read.

HIKERS