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

[tarabull]

IMO he wasn't posing for this pic - to me it seems as tho he is (mid-) movement - towards her obviously & i do have to wonder if she (sneakily) meant to include the license plate number...just moo.

 

[Herat]

IMO he wasn't posing for this pic - to me it seems as tho he is (mid-) movement - towards her obviously & i do have to wonder if she (sneakily) meant to include the license plate number...just moo.

I think it's the same guy. The DL photo taken from below his chin and he's lost weight.

In the Joshua Tree photo, she was probably telling him to move left to try to get his height in the photo comparing with the tree.

There are so many better Joshua Trees around, though, even right off of the highway 62 through Morongo and into 29 Palms

 

[Sundog]

I can't find Fang's article in his list. He does mostly Victorville - but yes, I would think that someone like him would be interested (he does a lot of crime writing for Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia).

Thing is, they easily could have gone back in that direction - it's pretty in some areas and on the way to other places of desert beauty (although...Victorville itself is not really a tourist destination). We go out to Vasquez Rocks for fun and I recommend it to international tourists all the time.

Victorville is a sizable community compared to many others out there, and so lots of eyes on the road who would be looking (although a bit late, now).

If foul play is involved, then the area around the Salton Sea is almost literally No Man's Land (certainly No Woman's Land, IMO) and filled with places a truck could (temporarily) disappear.

See how the land kind of takes a dip before the Sea, here? There are other places where the sagebrush is higher, as well. But just driving down to the low shoreline of the Salton Sea (with its small dunes above) would hide a truck until someone decided to pay attention and report it.

This is taken from an actual street in Salton Sea Beach. As you can see, in this particular neighborhood, while there is a street (unpaved) and...some buildings (do the 360 turn) this is typical of a "populated" spot out there. Between this place and the town of Salton City lie 10 miles of...nothing. Well, there are some signs of life here and there. In this example, there's an intersection - and the roads go on for miles (and other similar intersections intersect and go on for miles, too).

Heading more over to Julian, we go past an "airport/town." This is Ocotillo Airport. The whole airport is invisible, behind a low ridge. The entire area is filled with small dunes, large dunes and long, low ridges. The airport is small, of course - but my point is that I want to provide context for saying "nothing out there."

Woman who flew in from China now missing after trip to Morongo Basin area

Sheriff’s officials are seeking the public’s help in locating a 47-year-old woman who went missing in the Morongo Basin area on July 22.

www.vvdailypress.com

 

[Nova]

Trying to think of an alternative explanation for not only the disappearance of both JRF and FJ but also the missing truck. With the limited info for detailed evidence of what actually occurred anything is still possible- ignoring my hinky meter.

Is anyone familiar or experienced with the possibilities for sand storm implications, specifically for the reported areas they traveled? I’m not local and don’t trust my memory for specific details from my visits to area.

I’m aware of issues from sand storms starting back in July, which has even caused temporary halt of train services for LA to Palm Springs. It seems the risk of visibility complications connected to sand storm conditions is potentially a concern as a news article today reported three individuals were killed in Palm Springs by injuries sustained in car crash that’s suspected to be related to sand storm- - it was a random article from News App that popped up immediately grabbing my attention and started me thinking of possibilities.

So, is anyone aware if there is a history of missing persons that are ultimately revealed to be victims of car crash incidents involving the specific areas of their travels? Is there a regular occurrence or a higher risk during the sand storms for fatal car accident in which the vehicle is located in an area hidden from public view?

It’s common in mountainous areas that a vehicle is at risk of weather conditions for a fatal car accident that’s easily hidden from view due to elevation along with trees and ground coverage of brush concealing view of the vehicle from highway traffic and overhead aircraft. It’s possible in flat terrain, my Cousin’s daughter, a high school senior disappeared driving to school during heavy rainstorm. The entire community of Thomasville searched, continuously retracing her route, 4 days later she was located deceased by utility crews trimming back tree limbs along the highway.

Is similar scenario to these a possibility in this case for the local environment during sand storm conditions- ability to disappear from public for at least 2 months?

We DID have a sand storm (or "dust storm") alert about a week ago. The dust storm was coming from the East (i.e., Thermal). Simultaneously, we had a "flash flood warning" from the West (i.e., Mt. San Jacinto). All of my "devices" were blowing up from the government-sent alerts! (In the end, however, we had no damage where I live.)

 

[Nova]

High Desert News is out of Victorville, it seems. There is probably enough in the area of Cajon Pass, Victorville and along the I-15 corridor into Barstow to fill their daily postings.

I find The Desert Sun to be centered more in the Palm Springs general area, carrying news items from Morongo Valley to Thermal. Like many small newspapers, it also posts feeds from USA Today and such.

Here is an article posted in The Desert Sun, about a rescue in the Bakersfield area, which is not really near Morongo Valley at all, but reminds us about hazards in the general terrain in the California desert areas, and shows a scenario that could be similar to something the FJ and JF might have experienced:

Person trapped at the bottom of 100-foot California ravine rescued after 5 days

The person in the pickup truck was stuck at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff between Arvin and Stallion Springs, California

www.desertsun.com

You are correct that THE DESERT SUN is the primary paper here in Palm Springs and for the Coachella Valley in general.

We also have TV affiliates: KMIR (NBC), KESQ (ABC) KSPS (CBS) and KDFX (Fox). When I wrote for the FABULOUS PALM SPRINGS FOLLIES, my press releases went mainly to the SUN and to KMIR.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Question about JRF: is Root his middle name? I am just trying to understand why people call him John Root Fitzpatrick. I don’t think I can name another case where we have called someone by three names.

And the missing person poster says that he is 52 years old, not 55 as the title of this thread indicates. Any idea which age is correct?

 

[AliceInPain]

Went to see if his DOB is on FamilySearch and this came up.
I've used that site a lot and they are usually correct (esp with older records for genealogy etc).
Anyway. Don't know where they got this from.

 

[hazel324]

Went to see if his DOB is on FamilySearch and this came up.
I've used that site a lot and they are usually correct (esp with older records for genealogy etc).
Anyway. Don't know where they got this from.

Whaaaaaaaaat ?? OMG my jaw literally dropped!

 

[ClaireNC]

Question about JRF: is Root his middle name? I am just trying to understand why people call him John Root Fitzpatrick. I don’t think I can name another case where we have called someone by three names.

And the missing person poster says that he is 52 years old, not 55 as the title of this thread indicates. Any idea which age is correct?

Based on Ancestry and Virginia court records he was born in February 1971. Some places show Feb 2 while others show Feb 4th. I think he uses his middle name, Root, to differentiate himself, since his name is fairly common. My husband and I do this because we have a common last name.

Also just for the record, JRF has been married at least 3 times and he has one child who is about 26 years old. Don’t know if he has a relationship with this child, since he divorced from their mother when the child was young. It looks like he is still technically married to the third wife. They legally separated a few years ago, but the divorce is not yet final. John Fitzpatrick -v- Hong Huo

I think if he was officially deceased, the court record wouldn’t still show as pending.

 

[Megnut]

Went to see if his DOB is on FamilySearch and this came up.
I've used that site a lot and they are usually correct (esp with older records for genealogy etc).
Anyway. Don't know where they got this from.

Whaaaaaaaaat ?? OMG my jaw literally dropped!

He couldn't have been married at age 10. Perhaps this is a relative.

Jmo

 

[tarabull]

Snipped & BBM FWIW...

After the police intervened in the investigation, a surveillance camera captured the man's truck in the Thermal area on July 22. It was a blue Toyota Tacoma light truck with the license plate #24478S1.

At the same time, the man's mobile phone activity was tracked in the Julian area of San Diego County on July 24.

Since then, the police have been unable to grasp the man's whereabouts. According to the man's relatives and friends calling the police, he was in a state of disappearance at about 11:50 am on July 30.

中国女子奔现美国网友，离奇失踪！网友有前科…_无忧资讯

中国女子金芳（Fang Jin）在网上认识了一个美国网友，今年7月，她决定赴美国奔现。让人揪心的是，在加州和男网友见面之后，金芳就和家人失联。

info.51.ca

 

[Dhighsmith]

We DID have a sand storm (or "dust storm") alert about a week ago. The dust storm was coming from the East (i.e., Thermal). Simultaneously, we had a "flash flood warning" from the West (i.e., Mt. San Jacinto). All of my "devices" were blowing up from the government-sent alerts! (In the end, however, we had no damage where I live.)

Glad you had no damage. I’m struggling with this being a car crash and not being found for 2 months based on my memory of the area.

 

[Dhighsmith]

Went to see if his DOB is on FamilySearch and this came up.
I've used that site a lot and they are usually correct (esp with older records for genealogy etc).
Anyway. Don't know where they got this from.

Some sites show me as deceased, it related to name change after divorce- - the dates match but not absolutely sure that’s the reason.

 

[10ofRods]

Woman who flew in from China now missing after trip to Morongo Basin area

Sheriff’s officials are seeking the public’s help in locating a 47-year-old woman who went missing in the Morongo Basin area on July 22.

www.vvdailypress.com

I wonder why he does not have that story on his list of stories. But if he covered it once, he could perhaps be encouraged to cover it again.

 

[Sundog]

Question about JRF: is Root his middle name? I am just trying to understand why people call him John Root Fitzpatrick. I don’t think I can name another case where we have called someone by three names.

And the missing person poster says that he is 52 years old, not 55 as the title of this thread indicates. Any idea which age is correct?

NAMUS (missing person) reports that he is 52 years old.

Missing Person / NamUs #MP106457

View NamUs missing person case MP106457 for John Root Fitzpatrick missing from Morongo Valley, California. Date of last contact: Jul 22, 2023. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

 

[Sundog]

Based on Ancestry and Virginia court records he was born in February 1971. Some places show Feb 2 while others show Feb 4th. I think he uses his middle name, Root, to differentiate himself, since his name is fairly common. My husband and I do this because we have a common last name.

Also just for the record, JRF has been married at least 3 times and he has one child who is about 26 years old. Don’t know if he has a relationship with this child, since he divorced from their mother when the child was young. It looks like he is still technically married to the third wife. They legally separated a few years ago, but the divorce is not yet final. John Fitzpatrick -v- Hong Huo

I think if he was officially deceased, the court record wouldn’t still show as pending.

I think that may be the case, that JRF has a very common first and last name, so using "Root" would help differentiate.

It also may be that he has a compound last name. Mother was "Root", and father was "Fitzpatrick." I have a compound last name - both mother's last name and father's last name. I also have a middle name. I generally just use my first name and father's last name to keep it all manageable/simplify. Unless it's on legal documents.


edited to clarify

 

[AliceInPain]

He couldn't have been married at age 10. Perhaps this is a relative.

Jmo

? Where does it say the year he got married?

Actually clicked on the record now, and it says the source is The Desert Trail (newspaper).
It's unusual for FamilySearch to add dodgy info from dubious websites (dodgiest being Find a Grave), so I was surprised to see this.
But it's also for anyone's genealogy research and family trees so sometimes some private researcher's "data" slips through when you search.
Also mentioned in the "record" is a woman who went missing in 2020 and a detective from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
If it was an actual obituary I'd have expected relatives being mentioned.

Anyone have access to The Desert Trail newspaper?

 

[Sundog]

Anyone have access to The Desert Trail newspaper?

<snipped for focus>

It looks like The Desert Trail newspaper has published three articles on Fang Jin's disappearance (August 3, 9 and 11) and the reporter states that news on the disappearance will be updated as new information becomes available. The reporter is Jene Estrada with Hi-Desert Star and he also writes for The Desert Trail (looks like the Hi-Desert Star and The Desert Trail are one organization, with overlapping news stories and some different news coverage that is based on local community news).

Woman disappears on trip to Morongo Basin

MORONGO BASIN — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing woman Fang Jin, a 47-year-old last heard from on July 22.

www.hidesertstar.com

Missing woman’s family looks for answers; sheriff now reports man also missing

MORONGO BASIN — Limited information has come out about missing woman Fang Jin who was last seen on July 22. Fang went missing from the Morongo Basin area after traveling

www.hidesertstar.com

Sheriff confirms missing woman hired missing Morongo Valley man as guide

MORONGO BASIN — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed late this week that missing woman Fang Jin and missing man John Root Fitzpatrick are still missing out of the

www.hidesertstar.com

 

[AliceInPain]

<snipped for focus>

It looks like The Desert Trail newspaper has published three articles on Fang Jin's disappearance (August 3, 9 and 11) and the reporter states that news on the disappearance will be updated as new information becomes available. The reporter is Jene Estrada with Hi-Desert Star and he also writes for The Desert Trail (looks like the Hi-Desert Star and The Desert Trail are one organization, with overlapping news stories and some different news coverage that is based on local community news).

Woman disappears on trip to Morongo Basin

MORONGO BASIN — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing woman Fang Jin, a 47-year-old last heard from on July 22.

www.hidesertstar.com

Missing woman’s family looks for answers; sheriff now reports man also missing

MORONGO BASIN — Limited information has come out about missing woman Fang Jin who was last seen on July 22. Fang went missing from the Morongo Basin area after traveling

www.hidesertstar.com

Sheriff confirms missing woman hired missing Morongo Valley man as guide

MORONGO BASIN — The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed late this week that missing woman Fang Jin and missing man John Root Fitzpatrick are still missing out of the

www.hidesertstar.com

Thank you so much!

But I can't see the articles, European here.

Is Gloria Huerta (missing person) or Tyler Bengard (SBCSD) mentioned in any of them?
I'll need to contact them (FS) if they have started using any internet info as sources for their records, because I've used them a lot for my family research, including Russian genealogy, which is hard enough. And never had a problem before.

Also, what's the name of the reporter?

 

[sasha17]

Thank you so much!

But I can't see the articles, European here.

Is Gloria Huerta (missing person) or Tyler Bengard (SBCSD) mentioned in any of them?
I'll need to contact them (FS) if they have started using any internet info as sources for their records, because I've used them a lot for my family research, including Russian genealogy, which is hard enough. And never had a problem before.

Also, what's the name of the reporter?

Gloria Huerta is the public information officer from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who has been giving statements to the press in this case, and Tyler Bengard is the detective. Sheriff confirms missing woman hired missing Morongo Valley man as guide

It looks to me like FamilySearch scraped the news article about JRF being missing and somehow interpreted that as a death announcement. In the top right corner, it says this information was indexed by a computer and errors should be reported to FS. This seems like an error to me.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6LZZ-YJGV