Found Deceased CA - Fang Jin, 47, flew to LA from China, train to Palm Springs, Morongo Basin, 21 Jul 2023, w/ JohnRoot Fitzpatrick, 55, missing, 30 Jul ‘23

[10ofRods]

The thing I don't understand, if she's an experienced traveler, why on earth would she go to one of the hottest places in the U.S. during one of the hottest summers on the books? Why?

As someone who lives not far from this very hot place, I can assure you that it's exceedingly popular, especially with international tourists. Brits, in particular, love the desert and flock into Death Valley during the hot months. Some write glowing trip reports on TripAdvisor (those are the ones who follow the rules, I guess). Many do not write reports, though, and I always wonder about them.

It's on a continuum with people who go in privately built, non-certified submersibles, I think. A kind of wager with oneself regarding adventurousness and courage. China has some really hot places, too (and many are humid - they say that Morongo Valley is "not so bad" when it's 155F - and by "they" I mean "people I know who live out that way.") SO many hot places in inland California. 102F at 10 am in Borrego Springs (not far from Julian). Going up to only 106F though - so a good day to go out! (It's going to be 109-110F at my workplace today, supposedly)

Here's the thing. People stay in their trucks and cars, with A/C. They jump out to take pictures. They go into restaurants and hotels that have A/C. Death Valley is pretty much closed right now (flood damage) but there are signs everywhere in summer saying things like "Do not be out of your car for more than 5 minutes."

Joshua Tree is already 100F this fine morning, already hotter than predicted. Only 95F in Morongo Valley. Anyway, millions of SoCal people will endure temps over 95 today and think it's pretty "cool" until it gets to 112-115F.

Only the coastal zone escapes this in SoCal. And AZ is often even hotter (and people flock there - including to live there). I'm sure JRF must have A/C at his place, I'd bet on it. So a long day popping in and out of the car...and so far, no evidence of actual camping (which would indeed risk heat exhaustion in many places, this time of year - but not so bad if they are up at Big Bear or in the Julian outback).

I just think one of them would have checked in by now. Oh, and this is not "one of the hottest summers" here in SoCal - we could still earn that as it's usually hotter in September than it is in August or July (even inland) and those conditions are predicted for the next 10 days. So far, though, many of us living in less than record heat.

IMO.

 

[Centaurus]

As someone who lives not far from this very hot place, I can assure you that it's exceedingly popular, especially with international tourists. Brits, in particular, love the desert and flock into Death Valley during the hot months. Some write glowing trip reports on TripAdvisor (those are the ones who follow the rules, I guess). Many do not write reports, though, and I always wonder about them.

It's on a continuum with people who go in privately built, non-certified submersibles, I think. A kind of wager with oneself regarding adventurousness and courage. China has some really hot places, too (and many are humid - they say that Morongo Valley is "not so bad" when it's 155F - and by "they" I mean "people I know who live out that way.") SO many hot places in inland California. 102F at 10 am in Borrego Springs (not far from Julian). Going up to only 106F though - so a good day to go out! (It's going to be 109-110F at my workplace today, supposedly)

Here's the thing. People stay in their trucks and cars, with A/C. They jump out to take pictures. They go into restaurants and hotels that have A/C. Death Valley is pretty much closed right now (flood damage) but there are signs everywhere in summer saying things like "Do not be out of your car for more than 5 minutes."

Joshua Tree is already 100F this fine morning, already hotter than predicted. Only 95F in Morongo Valley. Anyway, millions of SoCal people will endure temps over 95 today and think it's pretty "cool" until it gets to 112-115F.

Only the coastal zone escapes this in SoCal. And AZ is often even hotter (and people flock there - including to live there). I'm sure JRF must have A/C at his place, I'd bet on it. So a long day popping in and out of the car...and so far, no evidence of actual camping (which would indeed risk heat exhaustion in many places, this time of year - but not so bad if they are up at Big Bear or in the Julian outback).

I just think one of them would have checked in by now. Oh, and this is not "one of the hottest summers" here in SoCal - we could still earn that as it's usually hotter in September than it is in August or July (even inland) and those conditions are predicted for the next 10 days. So far, though, many of us living in less than record heat.

IMO.

lmao, non-certified submersibles!!

I lived in AZ for almost 20 years and my parents had a second winter home in Desert Hot Springs then Palm Desert and I'll never understand the people who vacation there during the summer. The heat is absolutely no joke and can be deadly if you're not prepared. Is it confirmed anywhere that they were staying in his trailer? or were they camping? I worry something heat-related happened to both of them.

 

[Herat]

On July 14, she's on a traffic island outside the international terminal at LAX. I hear only Chinese in the video.

On July 15, she appears to be at a really fine hotel. The pictures are too large to upload here - but go check 'em out and see if you recognize the place. It's got a lot of Southwestern decor, so could be Palm Springs? It looks like an historic building.

July 16, in addition to the widely distributed (flipped) photo of FJ and JRF, there are little movies (with music) of the desert landscape.

July 17 appears to be a beautiful day in Joshua Tree (so I would assume that the trip on July 16 was from Palm Springs to Morongo Valley, no hotel shown - seems possible she was staying at JRF's mobile home. There's also a brief movie (again with sound editing, I think) that looks to be heading back toward Morongo Valley.

July 17 has another video, with hip-hop music (can't tell if it's dubbed in or part of the video source) and some fairly flat, desolate, typical desert scenery.

July 18 - no upload.

July 19 - the film, with sort of romantic music, of the conclusion of a road trip. But there are other scenes (kind of a trip summary video) of the desert from July 17 and other sights from July 17.

July 20 - the same dreamy piano music as July 19, but now a daytime desert trip by car. Definitely could be heading south through the Mojave. Another selfie of the two of them, with JRF doing the "look ma no hands" thing at the steering wheel, as far as I can tell.

July 21. There's a LOT. To a sand connoisseur, she's now film a prettier part of the desert, with a soft-looking cream colored sand and hardly any pokey plants. Looks to be the San Bernardino mountains in the background - but could be elsewhere. Then there are some striking pictures of dunes whose color makes them look as if they are from a black and white movie. This could be Salton Sea area?? Beautiful still. One is of a lava flow (there's one near Amboy, another in Mojave Preserve, both are well known). The comes the video heading back toward 29 Palms/possibly toward Morongo Valley.

After that - nothing. All the roads shown seem to be California secondary, paved, mostly two lane roads. No pictures of camping equipment, camping gear, food being eaten, campgrounds, etc. To me it looks like they were using Morongo Valley as their home base - coming back there at the end of each day.

Would welcome other opinions. If, on the 22nd or 23rd, they did load up and go camping (on a longer excursion, toward Thermal) that isn't in this record.

As someone who lives not far from this very hot place, I can assure you that it's exceedingly popular, especially with international tourists. Brits, in particular, love the desert and flock into Death Valley during the hot months. Some write glowing trip reports on TripAdvisor (those are the ones who follow the rules, I guess). Many do not write reports, though, and I always wonder about them.

It's on a continuum with people who go in privately built, non-certified submersibles, I think. A kind of wager with oneself regarding adventurousness and courage. China has some really hot places, too (and many are humid - they say that Morongo Valley is "not so bad" when it's 155F - and by "they" I mean "people I know who live out that way.") SO many hot places in inland California. 102F at 10 am in Borrego Springs (not far from Julian). Going up to only 106F though - so a good day to go out! (It's going to be 109-110F at my workplace today, supposedly)

Here's the thing. People stay in their trucks and cars, with A/C. They jump out to take pictures. They go into restaurants and hotels that have A/C. Death Valley is pretty much closed right now (flood damage) but there are signs everywhere in summer saying things like "Do not be out of your car for more than 5 minutes."

Joshua Tree is already 100F this fine morning, already hotter than predicted. Only 95F in Morongo Valley. Anyway, millions of SoCal people will endure temps over 95 today and think it's pretty "cool" until it gets to 112-115F.

Only the coastal zone escapes this in SoCal. And AZ is often even hotter (and people flock there - including to live there). I'm sure JRF must have A/C at his place, I'd bet on it. So a long day popping in and out of the car...and so far, no evidence of actual camping (which would indeed risk heat exhaustion in many places, this time of year - but not so bad if they are up at Big Bear or in the Julian outback).

I just think one of them would have checked in by now. Oh, and this is not "one of the hottest summers" here in SoCal - we could still earn that as it's usually hotter in September than it is in August or July (even inland) and those conditions are predicted for the next 10 days. So far, though, many of us living in less than record heat.

IMO.

Great point

Many European travelers ( especially Germans, for some reason) seek to go to Death Valley in July and August heat, especially to get their photo taken in front of the DVNP thermometer.

I find it curious that this typical trip does not appear to be what wanted to do, instead going to nondescript Morongo Valley. Most foreign travelers to the area really want to tick off Joshua Tree NP and Death Valley NP on their trip list.
As these two had some sort of friendly connection by internet and she was an experienced international traveler, it would have been him who suggested the routing rather than her making requests.

However, I notice that she stayed in a nice, interesting hotel in LA and it looks like a possible casino-hotel in Palm Springs. In the intense heat, I'd think she would want to have an air-conditioned refuge to return to.

 

[ch_13]

The thing I don't understand, if she's an experienced traveler, why on earth would she go to one of the hottest places in the U.S. during one of the hottest summers on the books? Why?

Whenever I hear about tourists doing dumb things in the desert, I'm always reminded of the French couple who died while hiking with their 9-year old son in White Sands. (The son survived.)

The temps were over 100F, and for some reason they brought a total of just 40 oz of water with them for the walk. They only made it 1 1/2 miles from their car before collapsing.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/us/new-mexico-french-deaths/index.html

I think if you've never experienced that kind of desert heat, you can easily underestimate just how brutal the conditions are and how much you need to prep in order to survive in them.

 

[sasha17]

Even if Fang, as a tourist, didn't understand the reality of the hot desert in the summer, John certainly would have as a resident of the area. Especially for someone with a military background, I'd expect he'd be prepared and take precautions, have appropriate supplies, etc.

Personally, I think they got stuck somewhere out in the desert on a day trip and haven't been found yet. It's so unfortunate LE is considering them voluntarily missing.

 

[adot0902]

As someone who lives not far from this very hot place, I can assure you that it's exceedingly popular, especially with international tourists. Brits, in particular, love the desert and flock into Death Valley during the hot months. Some write glowing trip reports on TripAdvisor (those are the ones who follow the rules, I guess). Many do not write reports, though, and I always wonder about them.

It's on a continuum with people who go in privately built, non-certified submersibles, I think. A kind of wager with oneself regarding adventurousness and courage. China has some really hot places, too (and many are humid - they say that Morongo Valley is "not so bad" when it's 155F - and by "they" I mean "people I know who live out that way.") SO many hot places in inland California. 102F at 10 am in Borrego Springs (not far from Julian). Going up to only 106F though - so a good day to go out! (It's going to be 109-110F at my workplace today, supposedly)

Here's the thing. People stay in their trucks and cars, with A/C. They jump out to take pictures. They go into restaurants and hotels that have A/C. Death Valley is pretty much closed right now (flood damage) but there are signs everywhere in summer saying things like "Do not be out of your car for more than 5 minutes."

Joshua Tree is already 100F this fine morning, already hotter than predicted. Only 95F in Morongo Valley. Anyway, millions of SoCal people will endure temps over 95 today and think it's pretty "cool" until it gets to 112-115F.

Only the coastal zone escapes this in SoCal. And AZ is often even hotter (and people flock there - including to live there). I'm sure JRF must have A/C at his place, I'd bet on it. So a long day popping in and out of the car...and so far, no evidence of actual camping (which would indeed risk heat exhaustion in many places, this time of year - but not so bad if they are up at Big Bear or in the Julian outback).

I just think one of them would have checked in by now. Oh, and this is not "one of the hottest summers" here in SoCal - we could still earn that as it's usually hotter in September than it is in August or July (even inland) and those conditions are predicted for the next 10 days. So far, though, many of us living in less than record heat.

IMO.

Since you live close, can you tell us if it's possible for them to be out there and the truck not be found? It's just weird to me that the vehicle they were in hasn't been seen, if they were lost in the desert wouldn't their truck be there? Or are we talking such a vast region it may be out there and just hasn't been located?

 

[10ofRods]

Since you live close, can you tell us if it's possible for them to be out there and the truck not be found? It's just weird to me that the vehicle they were in hasn't been seen, if they were lost in the desert wouldn't their truck be there? Or are we talking such a vast region it may be out there and just hasn't been located?

Only if they got onto unpaved roads - and I personally do not think they had enough equipment with them (nothing visible in the back seat or back of truck) to be out there very long. No big barrel of water.

In theory, they could have driven off a mountain road in the high desert and be unfound for a long time. My concern is that there are many different public lands and so far, spread across four counties - with no clear call to try and find the truck given out. Of course, most of us are freeway drivers and do not go out into the middle of the wilderness regularly.

I'd think they'd stay on paved roads and might have sought scenic lookouts (like this one near Julian). So, lots of elevation change, gullies, brush-covered hills. That's why it sometimes takes a year or more (if ever) to find people who've gone hiking in popular places (like Mount Baldy). If they went someplace less popular...could be a while.

I do believe that if that truck was at any designated campground (or in dispersed camping in NF land or NP land), the truck would have been found. BLM land, the area around Salton Sea - not so much. Again, though, if they were in free camping/boondocking territory on BLM land or similar, I still think that someone would notice a non-moving truck in the desert (after days, though). And some roads could be really secluded (but unless his truck broke down...well, then the question is why were they out in such unfriendly, hot territory without a back-up plan for communication? It doesn't sound very vacation-like).

If they parked on a tertiary road in the desert to, say, go rock hunting or picture taking and got lost, it will be a while before it's noticed and reported. There are roads near trail heads where there are 20-30 cars parked on an average day - and people do not pay attention to the other cars in the lot, just their own. Almost no one would repeat a desert hike in the next days after they'd just done it - they'd choose something new. There are maybe 20-25 trailheads near Julian alone. The trails out there are notorious for being unsafe at this time of year (heat, no water). So...where are they?

LE is not going to put out a bulletin for voluntarily missing persons who could be anywhere.

One of my fears is that an abandoned car would be a magnet to certain bad actors (car thieves), and they do exist. A woman (found deceased near Joshua Tree) had her car stolen (and I believe it was then abandoned elsewhere - leading to a wild goose chase for her). She had left it by the side of a road, near open desert - where she was eventually found, IIRC. Her campsite in JT was still mostly intact, leading rangers there to ponder what had happened to her after she exceeded her days of stay (and no car still there). Her family had already reported her missing.

Bones of California mom who vanished during ‘pandemic road trip’ found in desert

Erika Ashley Lloyd, 37, of Walnut Creek, was reported missing June 17 by her family. Lloyd, who is survived by her 12-year-old son, vanished after camping at Joshua Tree National Park. Her skeletal remains were found Jan. 31 in a remote area north of the park.

www.kiro7.com

Her car was near a state route, though. So seen by several people and reported fairly soon (Family knew she was going to JT - which helped a lot).

It sounds as if JF's friend had some clue where they were going (the one who reported JF missing). But no one seems to know their actual travel plans - which is going to make it very hard to find them.

 

[Herat]

Even if Fang, as a tourist, didn't understand the reality of the hot desert in the summer, John certainly would have as a resident of the area. Especially for someone with a military background, I'd expect he'd be prepared and take precautions, have appropriate supplies, etc.

Personally, I think they got stuck somewhere out in the desert on a day trip and haven't been found yet. It's so unfortunate LE is considering them voluntarily missing.

Yes, that's my gut feeling.

Both were incapacitated from either heatstroke or a major accident and will be found in the area of the vehicle. If the vehicle flipped over, such as in rolling off of a steep road or having rocks fall on it. Perhaps only the undercarriage might be visible and it could be obscured by rocks or blowing dust.

I just dont think there was foul play and he left to become a fugitive. I think there would be more random info that kept cropping up.

I truly hope LE will act on both their disappearances after the date for her return plane flight passes. Clearly, getting access to his phone and banking data would be the easiest place to start, as it may be near impossible logistically to get her phone unlocked.

 

[patternsfinder]

Yes, that's my gut feeling.

Both were incapacitated from either heatstroke or a major accident and will be found in the area of the vehicle. If the vehicle flipped over, such as in rolling off of a steep road or having rocks fall on it. Perhaps only the undercarriage might be visible and it could be obscured by rocks or blowing dust.

I just dont think there was foul play and he left to become a fugitive. I think there would be more random info that kept cropping up.

I truly hope LE will act on both their disappearances after the date for her return plane flight passes. Clearly, getting access to his phone and banking data would be the easiest place to start, as it may be near impossible logistically to get her phone unlocked.

In this scenario, how do you make sense of her losing contact on the night of the 21st, despite regular prior contact, and his phone and car still being active for at least three days following, moving between various locations?

 

[10ofRods]

lmao, non-certified submersibles!!

I lived in AZ for almost 20 years and my parents had a second winter home in Desert Hot Springs then Palm Desert and I'll never understand the people who vacation there during the summer. The heat is absolutely no joke and can be deadly if you're not prepared. Is it confirmed anywhere that they were staying in his trailer? or were they camping? I worry something heat-related happened to both of them.

No, no confirmation - but you made me think about another briefly missing woman (in Phoenix). She had gone to visit someone in a large housing tract, went out for a walk at mid day, never returned. Was eventually found in someone's back yard, having climbed a fence, apparently searching for water. She got lost because all the streets looked alike and she was disoriented quickly from the heat.

Unfortunately, water alone will not protect against gradually rising internal temperatures - just slow it down a bit. The only cure for incipient heat exhaustion/eventual heat stroke is...to get out of the heat.

The poor woman in Phoenix was in a land of lava rock landscaping, no trees, no bushes. And then there was this woman:

Phoenix police closes case on woman found dead at base of Camelback Mountain

Phoenix PD closed the case — without a public announcement or any charges — exactly one month after the 31-year-old Massachusetts woman was found dead in the backyard of a home at the base of Camelback Mountain, according to copy of the investigation obtained by ABC15 through a source.

www.abc15.com

And this one:

Missing woman last seen hiking in Deem Hills Recreation Area found dead: PD

Phoenix Police officials gave a sad update to the case of a woman who went missing while on hike in North Phoenix.

www.fox10phoenix.com

This last woman went on what she thought was an ordinary hike. Started "early" (at 8:30 am). Family reported her missing at noon. Found at 5 pm, dead of heat stroke (probably before noon, as she was expected back already). But could have been lost and disoriented.

Many people experience euphoria as an early symptom of heat exhaustion, making it difficult for them to make proper decisions. By the time they are disoriented and body temp is rising further, it's too late.


So...most of us don't go out to the desert at this time of year. But tourists do.

 

[10ofRods]

In this scenario, how do you make sense of her losing contact on the night of the 21st, despite regular prior contact, and his phone and car still being active for at least three days following, moving between various locations?

Her "regular" prior contact appears it might have skipped a day, here and there. And, of course, with two people charging phones in a car, maybe one phone seemed less useful (a Chinese carrier smart phone might not have maps and GSP voice that could be used to guide the car). So maybe it was just one of those things that happened. "I'll charge it tomorrow," kind of thing - but things get hectic or hot.

She wasn't scheduled for daily phone calls. Family would have expected a call on the 22nd, I'd think. But it doesn't explain why she doesn't call on the 23rd or 24th (unless she was using wifi at her hotel to call/upload videos to a website - we don't know for sure that she was calling; we do know she sent her family pictures).

Very frustrating case.

 

[flowershop]

The thing I don't understand, if she's an experienced traveler, why on earth would she go to one of the hottest places in the U.S. during one of the hottest summers on the books? Why?

I have wondered this too. Perhaps this was more about meeting JRF as a love interest. Or perhaps JRF was someone who was already in her online social network because he either offers or uses the "homestay" mode of travel. Are we sure that they didn't meet in europe when she was involved in homestay there?

 

[Centaurus]

No, no confirmation - but you made me think about another briefly missing woman (in Phoenix). She had gone to visit someone in a large housing tract, went out for a walk at mid day, never returned. Was eventually found in someone's back yard, having climbed a fence, apparently searching for water. She got lost because all the streets looked alike and she was disoriented quickly from the heat.

Unfortunately, water alone will not protect against gradually rising internal temperatures - just slow it down a bit. The only cure for incipient heat exhaustion/eventual heat stroke is...to get out of the heat.

The poor woman in Phoenix was in a land of lava rock landscaping, no trees, no bushes. And then there was this woman:

Phoenix police closes case on woman found dead at base of Camelback Mountain

Phoenix PD closed the case — without a public announcement or any charges — exactly one month after the 31-year-old Massachusetts woman was found dead in the backyard of a home at the base of Camelback Mountain, according to copy of the investigation obtained by ABC15 through a source.

www.abc15.com

And this one:

Missing woman last seen hiking in Deem Hills Recreation Area found dead: PD

Phoenix Police officials gave a sad update to the case of a woman who went missing while on hike in North Phoenix.

www.fox10phoenix.com

This last woman went on what she thought was an ordinary hike. Started "early" (at 8:30 am). Family reported her missing at noon. Found at 5 pm, dead of heat stroke (probably before noon, as she was expected back already). But could have been lost and disoriented.

Many people experience euphoria as an early symptom of heat exhaustion, making it difficult for them to make proper decisions. By the time they are disoriented and body temp is rising further, it's too late.


So...most of us don't go out to the desert at this time of year. But tourists do.

All of those cases are so sad and preventable!

When I lived in AZ, my house was in-between the Superstition Mountains and San Tan Regional Park. Every single summer there was some sort of SAR mission in one of those areas (and usually a tourist). People really underestimate what the heat can do to you and how fast it can do it.

 

[Centaurus]

I have wondered this too. Perhaps this was more about meeting JRF as a love interest. Or perhaps JRF was someone who was already in her online social network because he either offers or uses the "homestay" mode of travel. Are we sure that they didn't meet in europe when she was involved in homestay there?

BBM. Interesting thought there. There is so much we don't know. I hope her daughter has better luck communicating the details of this case to someone who can actually help.

Like others have said, if she misses her October flight home, I'm guessing this case gets looked at more thoroughly.

 

[richie2023]

if she misses her October flight home, I'm guessing this case gets looked at more thoroughly.

All Tourist visa requires a return flight back to their origin countries.
Many people decide not to go back on the scheduled flight date.

 

[ch_13]

All Tourist visa requires a return flight back to their origin countries.
Many people decide not to go back on the scheduled flight date.

This isn't necessarily true for B-2 visa holders. Which is different than someone who enters under the Visa Waiver Program. As a Chinese citizen Jin would have been required to get a visa.

19. I have a B2 tourist visa. Do I also need a return ticket?​

If you hold a B2 tourist visa, you are not required to hold a return ticket; you may enter the U.S. on a one way ticket. However, if you do not have a round trip ticket you may have more difficulty in proving the temporary nature of your stay.


If Immigration denies you entry then the airline is then on the hook for sending you back home. Therefore, airlines sometimes won't allow you to board the plane to the U.S. without a return ticket even if it's not an official requirement.

 

[10ofRods]

This isn't necessarily true for B-2 visa holders. Which is different than someone who enters under the Visa Waiver Program. As a Chinese citizen Jin would have been required to get a visa.

19. I have a B2 tourist visa. Do I also need a return ticket?​

If you hold a B2 tourist visa, you are not required to hold a return ticket; you may enter the U.S. on a one way ticket. However, if you do not have a round trip ticket you may have more difficulty in proving the temporary nature of your stay.


If Immigration denies you entry then the airline is then on the hook for sending you back home. Therefore, airlines sometimes won't allow you to board the plane to the U.S. without a return ticket even if it's not an official requirement.

According to what has been in MSM, she had a tourist visa. The regular 90 day visa. B1, I reckon. Not B2.

And yes, this is why airlines check. It's a pretty tight system.

BBM. Interesting thought there. There is so much we don't know. I hope her daughter has better luck communicating the details of this case to someone who can actually help.

Like others have said, if she misses her October flight home, I'm guessing this case gets looked at more thoroughly.

What will happen is that Homeland Security will be notified - but there will be no extra resources for local LE, IMO. Indeed, local LE will consider it turned over to Homeland Security. If she's every picked up for something or stopped in a traffic incident, then MAYBE her records will be important and someone will turn her in (she'll be sent to some kind of detention).

In general, Homeland Security will want to find her, but will not do anything other than what it usually does, IMO. I'm sure that several federal checks have occurred so far - but by that, I mean cursory attention. She's in a database somewhere, maybe. But if she overstays her visa, it isn't going to cause more resources to flow to finding her. Hundreds of thousands of people do it annually, with various outcomes (mostly just major headaches after such persons find out they can't get a visa next time, just for being late to leave). It's a very strict system, IMO. U.S. is not the only strict nation, either. My experience is that...most nations are strict about these things.

I hope that if Fang Jin goes back to China, her family lets U.S. authorities (SBCSO/NAMUS) know that she's safe.

 

[10ofRods]

All Tourist visa requires a return flight back to their origin countries.
Many people decide not to go back on the scheduled flight date.

And those "many people" are at risk for being deported and never getting a visa again. And there are quite a few of them.

Visas can also be swapped for a different type of visa - but NOT if one misses their first 90 day deadline. At least, that's the experience of everyone I know. It's a common problem. Going out of status is a big deal. There are penalties (not getting to travel to various places - because some nations share the delinquent data with others; for example; Mexico does not like those who come to Mexico to try and leave after violating a U.S. visa and are likely to put a mark on their record as well).

It's a big deal. People get held in various places while this is sorted, if they are caught.

OTOH, many people do ignore the rules. Sigh.

 

[ch_13]

According to what has been in MSM, she had a tourist visa. The regular 90 day visa. B1, I reckon. Not B2.

The B-1 is for business. The B-2 is a tourist visa, so I presume that's what she has.

 

[acutename]

As someone who lives not far from this very hot place, I can assure you that it's exceedingly popular, especially with international tourists. Brits, in particular, love the desert and flock into Death Valley during the hot months. Some write glowing trip reports on TripAdvisor (those are the ones who follow the rules, I guess). Many do not write reports, though, and I always wonder about them.

It's on a continuum with people who go in privately built, non-certified submersibles, I think. A kind of wager with oneself regarding adventurousness and courage. China has some really hot places, too (and many are humid - they say that Morongo Valley is "not so bad" when it's 155F - and by "they" I mean "people I know who live out that way.") SO many hot places in inland California. 102F at 10 am in Borrego Springs (not far from Julian). Going up to only 106F though - so a good day to go out! (It's going to be 109-110F at my workplace today, supposedly)

Here's the thing. People stay in their trucks and cars, with A/C. They jump out to take pictures. They go into restaurants and hotels that have A/C. Death Valley is pretty much closed right now (flood damage) but there are signs everywhere in summer saying things like "Do not be out of your car for more than 5 minutes."

Joshua Tree is already 100F this fine morning, already hotter than predicted. Only 95F in Morongo Valley. Anyway, millions of SoCal people will endure temps over 95 today and think it's pretty "cool" until it gets to 112-115F.

Only the coastal zone escapes this in SoCal. And AZ is often even hotter (and people flock there - including to live there). I'm sure JRF must have A/C at his place, I'd bet on it. So a long day popping in and out of the car...and so far, no evidence of actual camping (which would indeed risk heat exhaustion in many places, this time of year - but not so bad if they are up at Big Bear or in the Julian outback).

I just think one of them would have checked in by now. Oh, and this is not "one of the hottest summers" here in SoCal - we could still earn that as it's usually hotter in September than it is in August or July (even inland) and those conditions are predicted for the next 10 days. So far, though, many of us living in less than record heat.

IMO.

china did have record breaking heat this summer

China logs 52.2 Celsius as extreme weather rewrites records​

Reuters
https://www.reuters.com › world › china-logs-522-celsiu...





Jul 16, 2023 — BEIJING, July 17 (Reuters) - A remote township in China's arid northwest endured temperatures of more than 52 Celsius (126 Fahrenheit) on ...

China beats its own record for hot days over six months​

CNN.com
https://www.cnn.com › 2023/07/03 › china › china-recor...




Jul 3, 2023 — China beats its own record for hot days over six months ... Tourists visit the Temple of Heaven on a hot day in Beijing on June 30, 2023.

So maybe Fang thought it was "no big deal" and at least a dry heat.... do we know if she was from a hot humid area? Portugal is also sunny and hot....