Found Deceased CA - Fang Jin, 47, flew to LA from China, train to Palm Springs, Morongo Basin, 21 Jul 2023, w/ John Root Fitzpatrick, 55, (fnd dec.), 30 Jul ‘23 #3

[Dhighsmith]

Death certificate confirms body of ex-Navy SEAL found in desert

GPS location of John Fitzpatrick's body was disclosed, but the cause of death is still pending.

www.cbs8.com

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/fitzpatrick-death-cert_redacted.pdf

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/Calls-for-service-list.pdf

Thanks as always for sharing info.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[crhedBngr]

On the "Calls for Service" doc, please note the following incidents:

1. Incident number: MB232080016
2. Incident number: MB232100034
3. Incident number: MB232110005
4. Incident number: MB232110032
5. Incident number: MB232120023
6. Incident number: MB232120035
7. Incident number: MB232190027
8. Incident number: MB232230038

I may have missed some incidents.

JMVHO.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Death certificate confirms body of ex-Navy SEAL found in desert

GPS location of John Fitzpatrick's body was disclosed, but the cause of death is still pending.

www.cbs8.com

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/fitzpatrick-death-cert_redacted.pdf

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/Calls-for-service-list.pdf

Thank you for posting those. I found this interesting:

Date and Time of Occurrence: 07/21/23 @ 22:06:14
Location of Occurrence: 51063 Twentynine Palms Hwy #43
Date and Time of Report: 07/21/23 @ 22:07:33
Name and Age of Victim: (Edited by me)
Factual Circumstances of Incident: Reporting Party called for welfare check on neighbor says, “I think
my neighbor died”. She’s not answering the door. Reporting Party says they have not seen neighbor in
about 4 days. Also advised of bad odor coming form location.

I don't know exactly where trailer #43 would be in relation to John's (#48?) but is it possible a lingering odor of decomposition could have been coming from a nearby trailer where someone had recently died, and that was what LE detected when they initially went to John's trailer?

The coordinates given on the death certificate for the exact location of John's remains are here, right at the bottom of Harper Canyon:

33°07'14.9"N 116°14'27.8"W · Julian Union Elementary School District, CA

Julian Union Elementary School District, CA

www.google.com

 

[mst]

Interesting that in the report it says that John had a neighbor who was involved in a drug bust and had been filming its day before the last time anyone sees them

 

[sfinkz]

The 9:45 pm July 20 SBCS service call (documented, I believe, in SW#1 as ‘made contact with JRF, observed Asian female’)—roughly 24 hours before last known contact of both JRF and FJ—is summarized as:

Reporting Party says ‘male’ took some of her stuff out of her truck. RP says ‘new girlfriend’ returned property. RP requests deputy to keep peace as ‘male’ sent threatening text message.

Curious as to how the CBS-8 journalist—with excellent reporting and legwork but without benefit of CAD records because of ongoing investigation—apparently references the ‘male’ as JRF and the ‘new girlfriend’ as FJ.

It is possible this simmering dispute was also voiced to the same friend FJ complained to in the day prior about the water/power issues. Domestic disputes in the trailer park not a welcoming environment, putting it mildly.

 

[mst]

The 9:45 pm July 20 SBCS service call—roughly 24 hours before last known contact of both JRF and FJ—is summarized as:

Reporting Party says ‘male’ took some of her stuff out of her truck. RP says ‘new girlfriend’ returned property. RP requests deputy to keep peace as ‘male’ sent threatening text message.

Curious as to how the CBS-8 journalist—with excellent reporting and legwork but without benefit of CAD records because of ongoing investigation—apparently references the ‘male’ as JRF and the ‘new girlfriend’ as FJ.

It is possible this simmering dispute was also voiced to the same friend FJ complained to in the day prior about the water/power issues. Domestic disputes in the trailer park not a welcoming environment, putting it mildly.

If you look, that report connects to the report before it. It was an eviction and oddly enough it's #51 where at the beginning of all the reports, someone was found either injured or dead. There's another report where John reports a suspicious person. This doesn't look like the safest place to live

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

If you look, that report connects to the report before it. It was an eviction and oddly enough it's #51 where at the beginning of all the reports, someone was found either injured or dead. There's another report where John reports a suspicious person. This doesn't look like the safest place to live

It's a bit confusing because some of the incidents' appear to reference the trailer number the call was about, and others seem to reference the trailer number the caller lived at; sometimes one and the same, but not always. There are three incident numbers relating to the same incident late on June 17/early June 18, and they all have different trailer numbers--one of them John's, as you noted.

The CBS8 journalist seems to have been pretty good so far. But I do question him saying it was "apparently" John and Fang who were referenced in the report of a man taking a woman's belongings out of her truck, and his "new girlfriend" later giving them back. I don't question it because it's necessarily incorrect. I question it because the journalist gives no source for his "apparently". If it was John, presumably he wasn't arrested or there would be a record of it.

I have to agree that it sounds like this trailer park has a lot of disputes, crime, unsavoury tenants, and simmering tension. Not a great place to be.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

The 9:45 pm July 20 SBCS service call (documented, I believe, in SW#1 as ‘made contact with JRF, observed Asian female’)—roughly 24 hours before last known contact of both JRF and FJ—is summarized as:

Reporting Party says ‘male’ took some of her stuff out of her truck. RP says ‘new girlfriend’ returned property. RP requests deputy to keep peace as ‘male’ sent threatening text message.

Curious as to how the CBS-8 journalist—with excellent reporting and legwork but without benefit of CAD records because of ongoing investigation—apparently references the ‘male’ as JRF and the ‘new girlfriend’ as FJ.

It is possible this simmering dispute was also voiced to the same friend FJ complained to in the day prior about the water/power issues. Domestic disputes in the trailer park not a welcoming environment, putting it mildly.

I've got to say, the two connected incidents (mentioned by @mst) don't really seem to fit John and Fang based on the admittedly small amount of information we have. If the CBS8 journalist has solid information that it was John and Fang, he should cite a source. Even if it's a source he can't name, he should say he has one.

To me the incident sounds like a man and woman who had lived together or at least been a couple, and for some reason she was being evicted. She refused to leave. But then when she did finally start to pack up her belongings, the man said, "Hey, you can't take that!" and started to grab things out of the truck. The new girlfriend, trying to keep the peace and make things as painless as possible, gave the items back.

That doesn't seem to fit what we know about John and Fang.

 

[Dhighsmith]

Based on report it appears we now know how and why door of mobile home was open for LE to enter, I’m interpreting the notations that DH unlocked the door for LE to follow up on his reporting JRF missing.

 

[Desert Dreams]

Thank you for posting those. I found this interesting:



I don't know exactly where trailer #43 would be in relation to John's (#48?) but is it possible a lingering odor of decomposition could have been coming from a nearby trailer where someone had recently died, and that was what LE detected when they initially went to John's trailer?

The coordinates given on the death certificate for the exact location of John's remains are here, right at the bottom of Harper Canyon:

33°07'14.9"N 116°14'27.8"W · Julian Union Elementary School District, CA

Julian Union Elementary School District, CA

www.google.com

View attachment 463214

The location of John Fitzpatrick's body has previously been said to have been in Harper Canyon but with no specific location within the canyon, which runs for a few miles. To my knowledge, the GPS coordinates on the death certificate reported by CBS8 (David Gotfredson) are the first detailed location we have for John Fitzpatrick's body. It's interesting to see that it turns out to have been at the lower end of the canyon but I can't tell how far from the trailhead. It's good to see some basic facts come out from LE, thanks to the efforts of CBS8. Now what need is the same detailed location info for Jin Fang's body and John Fitzpatrick's truck. Without that info and phone location (ping) info, it's hard to understand what caused the deaths of Ms. Jin and Mr. Fitzpatrick.

 

[Desert Dreams]

On the "Calls for Service" doc, please note the following incidents:

1. Incident number: MB232080016
2. Incident number: MB232100034
3. Incident number: MB232110005
4. Incident number: MB232110032
5. Incident number: MB232120023
6. Incident number: MB232120035
7. Incident number: MB232190027
8. Incident number: MB232230

Death certificate confirms body of ex-Navy SEAL found in desert

GPS location of John Fitzpatrick's body was disclosed, but the cause of death is still pending.

www.cbs8.com

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/fitzpatrick-death-cert_redacted.pdf

https://interactive.cbs8.com/pdfs/Calls-for-service-list.pdf

As you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal, here's some food for thought. Love triangle (Incident #232010057, 7/20/23). Drug dealing in the trailer park (Incident #232230038, 8/11/23 & 7/19/23). The plot is thickening with more basic info starting to come out from LE. Doesn't the theory or explanation that John Fitzpatrick and Jin Fang just got lost in the desert and died of high heat look too simple and less likely given these new facts?

 

[Desert Dreams]

It's a bit confusing because some of the incidents' appear to reference the trailer number the call was about, and others seem to reference the trailer number the caller lived at; sometimes one and the same, but not always. There are three incident numbers relating to the same incident late on June 17/early June 18, and they all have different trailer numbers--one of them John's, as you noted.

The CBS8 journalist seems to have been pretty good so far. But I do question him saying it was "apparently" John and Fang who were referenced in the report of a man taking a woman's belongings out of her truck, and his "new girlfriend" later giving them back. I don't question it because it's necessarily incorrect. I question it because the journalist gives no source for his "apparently". If it was John, presumably he wasn't arrested or there would be a record of it.

I have to agree that it sounds like this trailer park has a lot of disputes, crime, unsavoury tenants, and simmering tension. Not a great place to be.

The reason David Gotfredson says apparently is because the incident reports provided by SB Sheriff were heavily summarized and did not include normal details (CAD records). For the 7/21/23 incident, the name(s) of the victim and the reporting party were left blank. <modsnip: no link, no discussion> Mr. Gotfredson is an excellent investigative reporter and has been effective in prodding LE to release basic facts and documents about this case. In my opinion, Mr. Gotfredson is one person we can rely on for info about this case.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

The reason David Gotfredson says apparently is because the incident reports provided by SB Sheriff were heavily summarized and did not include normal details (CAD records). For the 7/21/23 incident, the name(s) of the victim and the reporting party were left blank. <modsnip>Mr. Gotfredson is an excellent investigative reporter and has been effective in prodding LE to release basic facts and documents about this case. In my opinion, Mr. Gotfredson is one person we can rely on for info about this case.

My point is that a good journalist should never post anything without citing sources.

David Gotfredson didn't say something like, "according to a LE source who isn't authorized to speak on the record." He just said, "apparently." That isn't good journalism, no matter how good the journalist.

 

[acutename]

I posted this video previously but it might be worth reposting. This is a video of an unidentified area of doing the math-nfAnza-Borrego taken on August 20 during Hurricane Hilary. The area shown in the video appears to be similar topographically to Harper Flat, and the water flow looks quite powerful.

I think if there was a flash flood (heavy down pour) during that storm, the runoff could create some deep water- at least for a brief period- so not the 5 or 10" that "fell" but maybe 36 or 40" or more... I am not doing the math- maybe multiply the area of the flat by the depth or rain and put it in the canyon - see what depth you get.... IMO

 

[acutename]

Yes - and probably in response to the rocky roads up there. I found some pictures of Harper Flat (I believe they did not drive on it - but it is representative of some the rock up there). It appears to be exfoliating granite (with very little sand or dirt on big sections). A dirt road at approximately the same altitude, south of Harper Flat, would have some granite in it, IMO. It's always a worry even without the heat that such granite might damage a tire (I don't think JRF's tires look like specialized offroading tires, btw).

Heat plus granite is terrible for tires. Didn't we learn there were three flat tires? To me that says the truck took a big bounce (or went over really treacherous rocks - which should have been visible, unless speeding). By speeding, I mean too fast for those conditions. Deflating allows the tires to be softer and avoid puncture. In heat, one deflates just because of the heat. I was taught that if the terrain is rocky, one does not deflate as much - but again, trying to account for both heat AND rocky terrain...is difficult.

Close up picture of Harper Flat rock (which underlies the whole area at an elevation of about 2000 feet and is probably also higher up):

View attachment 462093
^Pinyon Wash/Harper Flat

This shows the grinding area of the Natives who used to live in the area and wintered there (likely grinding acorns carried up over several trips from fairly far away). But it does show the granite surface of the flat and its generally uneven character.

There are rounded granite boulders of various sizes in both Pinyon Wash and Harper Canyon, of course. But sharper ones are often embedded in roads, which is why people deflate. Most off roaders carry a simple device that can be used to reinflate, as well. I am assuming they were up there during daylight hours and would have needed to deflate for two reasons. IME, one can drive very slowly in such terrain, even with a flat tire (have done it, have seen people do it - not recommended, but possible). But 3 flat tires would really impact steering, IMO.

how much do you need to deflate tires in 120F? And there is friction and extra heat on the surface and general engine heat- sounds like a way to really stress the tire material IMO

 

[Desert Dreams]

For the 1st incident on 7/20/23 at 6:06 am (Incident #232010006), the victim is listed as WS. For the 2nd incident on 7/20/23 at 9:45 pm (Incident #232010057), the name(s) of the victim and the reporting party were left blank. Looking at the description in the 2 incident reports, which both involve Space #51, they logically must be related (i.e., involve the same victim). Source: Incident reports attached to 11/22/23 CBS8 article by David Gotfredson.

 

[acutename]

To be clear, I've been speaking very specifically about the area by the fence, not about the entirety of Harper Flat.

This is a matter of personal interpretation, but to me, saying an area isn't utilized doesn't just mean you can't drive over it or camp on it. To me that means nobody (or almost nobody) ever goes there. And that just doesn't seem to fit the area by the fence. Even if the area is very quiet at that time of year and in that kind of heat, could a vehicle "wrecked" next to the fence go unnoticed to the point where even a journalist who was out searching for it couldn't find it? That seems hard to believe.

However, I absolutely agree with everything you've said about Harper Flat itself. If the truck somehow ended up on the Flat, the chances of it being found were much, much lower. The only question then would be why and how it got there.

do we know if they did an aerial search? To be missed in an aerial search, I would think it was not by the fence/road/trail heads... the off road "roads" look a little confusing due to cacti and rocks- imagine trying to follow them at eye level, you would want a compass (was there one on JRF's truck?) IMO

 

[acutename]

It's a bit confusing because some of the incidents' appear to reference the trailer number the call was about, and others seem to reference the trailer number the caller lived at; sometimes one and the same, but not always. There are three incident numbers relating to the same incident late on June 17/early June 18, and they all have different trailer numbers--one of them John's, as you noted.

The CBS8 journalist seems to have been pretty good so far. But I do question him saying it was "apparently" John and Fang who were referenced in the report of a man taking a woman's belongings out of her truck, and his "new girlfriend" later giving them back. I don't question it because it's necessarily incorrect. I question it because the journalist gives no source for his "apparently". If it was John, presumably he wasn't arrested or there would be a record of it.

I have to agree that it sounds like this trailer park has a lot of disputes, crime, unsavoury tenants, and simmering tension. Not a great place to be.

while it seems that some unsavory things happen in the trailer park, it also seems that people observe a lot and call the police frequently

 

[Desert Dreams]

My point is that a good journalist should never post anything without citing sources.

David Gotfredson didn't say something like, "according to a LE source who isn't authorized to speak on the record." He just said, "apparently." That isn't good journalism, no matter how good the journalist.

Although in the abstract a good journalist should cite sources, I believe your raising a technical point about journalism ignores the bigger picture--David Gotfredson's reporting of this case. If you look at all the major facts we have about this case--search warrants, dates of discovery of truck and bodies, Fitzpatrick's death certificate, incident reports from Roadrunner Mobile Home Park, texts between Fitzpatrick & Jin, etc.)--they have all come out because of Mr. Gotfredson's investigation and reporting, including his persistent pressuring LE to release more info and documents. That's what a real journalist and sleuth should be doing. You know, Sherlock Holmes, like most good sleuths, had to rely on commonsense & deductive reasoning to interpret facts. Why should it be any different for Mr. Gotfredson? For me, his track record in this case speaks for itself and I trust and respect his analysis based on real facts that he has unearthed and reported.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Although in the abstract a good journalist should cite sources, I believe your raising a technical point about journalism ignores the bigger picture--David Gotfredson's reporting of this case. If you look at all the major facts we have about this case--search warrants, dates of discovery of truck and bodies, Fitzpatrick's death certificate, incident reports from Roadrunner Mobile Home Park, texts between Fitzpatrick & Jin, etc.)--they have all come out because of Mr. Gotfredson's investigation and reporting, including his persistent pressuring LE to release more info and documents. That's what a real journalist and sleuth should be doing. You know, Sherlock Holmes, like most good sleuths, had to rely on commonsense & deductive reasoning to interpret facts. Why should it be any different for Mr. Gotfredson? For me, his track record in this case speaks for itself and I trust and respect his analysis based on real facts that he has unearthed and reported.

Sherlock Holmes wasn't just taken at his word, he still had to prove his case.

I've read enough of Gotfredson's reporting on this case to know he has provided a source for almost everything, including the various documents you named. It's actually quite unusual for him to not cite his sources. Which makes it all the more notable that in this instance he didn't.