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

[slowpoke]

Missing Persons Center page for JRF

His FB and IG are included there.

 

[ClaireNC]

JRF Facebook: Fitz John
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfitzpatrick220/
Instagram: Login • Instagram

 

[10ofRods]

I don’t think of Julian as desert—4000+ ft. elevation, pine trees and substantial winter snow. But what worries me is—all the roads with substantial cliffs. If a truck went over the edge and buried itself in vegetation, it might be hard to find, unless there was a very focused search.

In California, deserts can be high or low. Much of SoCal is desert. Most people think of Joshua Tree (elevation 2000-5000 feet) as entirely desert (which it is, per scientific classification). Julian has very low rainfall, in other words.

It is an artsy little community, but its temperature and rainfall in the past couple of decades are certainly desert-like and it seems to me that it's inside the border of the Sonoran...

https://www.desertmuseum.org/images/csds/sonoran_map-lg.jpg

Sadly, it's been in a state of drought since 1999, and its temperatures are scorching. That's the worry. There's camping nearby, but it's hot, and dry, in the upper 90s-100's from April through November. If the missing pair are really out there somewhere (and not in Mexico), it's hot and dry where they are. Julian would have been a bit cooler, at 4000', but that elevation doesn't keep it very cool in August.

IMO.

 

[richie2023]

<modsnip - name of a person not known to be involved with this case>
Again two 50-year-old adults decide to be "missing", it is not against the law in the US.

 

[hazel324]

clipped by me & bold to question
Again two 50-year-old adults decide to be "missing", it is not against the law in the US.

Please clarify ?

 

[Saraheh91]

To anyone from any place near the Salton Sea:
Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Palm Springs, Coachella, etc.

Would you agree that the middle of Summer would push out anyone that isn't forced to live there based on the smell alone?

The fish die in masses, the saline and heat are unrelenting making for unlivable conditions for marine life.

If they went, they didn't stay for long.

There are oddities like Slab city, Salvation Mountain and other places for the curious.
Matter of fact people thought Lauren Cho might be found out that way .

JMO

I’m about 30 minutes northwest of the salton sea, and about 50 minutes to Yucca/Joshua Tree. You cannot smell it. You could drive right by it on the highway and not smell it. There are certain days in the year when there is a sulfur smell lingering in the air. It’s not completely intolerable. Not enough for people to desert the area. Actually right now, because of the meteor shower this past week, the high desert was bumper to bumper traffic. So even though the temperatures are very high, people still flock here.

 

[otto]

This is a bizarre photo. If this was a property surveillance camera and it caught him standing there, what was he doing on this dirt road? Compared to the photo on the missing poster from his ID, he looks like a much younger version of himself. And where is Fang?

Who was he to the victim, the missing woman? Tour guide? Translator? Trusted friend?

What is the connection between the two? Was she lonely with a lot of cash, and he knew how to use translation apps? She stopped checking in every 2 days, the vehicle disappeared, they both disappeared.

The photo where he is next to the vehicle, she does not appear to be in or near the SUV. Did she take the photo? That's not a terribly friendly situation to be in ... if she took the photo.

 

[otto]

So, Julian is a nice little tourist spot. It is in the mountains just on the way to San Diego. There are many places to camp.

If they hit it off and wanted to travel, my thought is that they would head toward the San Diego beach area or go to Rosarito Beach, maybe even Tijuana.

If they chose to head into Mexico, I would be truly concerned about the cash Fang is reported to be carrying.

If they headed back towards Morongo, I would lean towards checking Idylwild. Lots of trails and camping there as well.

JMO

Here?



Google map

 

[cenilla]

World Journal is the largest Chinese Language Newspaper in North America, it published the last video Jin Fang posted on her WeChat right before her disappearance, her friends believe the video was most likely shot while driving northbound on Adobe Road in the Twentynine Palms area, they also think the way this video was shot is very odd, as if Jin Fang sensed danger and tried to alert her friends. but I can't tell anything after watching it.
Didn't someone ask about her return date? <modsnip - statement not supported by link>
https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121471/7365669

 

[ClaireNC]

World Journal is the largest Chinese Language Newspaper in North America, it published the last video Jin Fang posted on her WeChat right before her disappearance, her friends believe the video was most likely shot while driving northbound on Adobe Road in the Twentynine Palms area, they also think the way this video was shot is very odd, as if Jin Fang sensed danger and tried to alert her friends. but I can't tell anything after watching it.
Didn't someone ask about her return date? <modsnip - statement not supported by link>
https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121471/7365669

Thanks for posting the video! According to this, the last known location for Ms Jin is when they were driving through Twentynine Palms at approximately 10 pm on 7/21/23.

Here’s a translation of the article attached to the video.
Video Source: Provided by Jin Fang's Friends)

Ms. Cui said that this was the last video Jin Fang sent to her circle of friends before she lost contact. It was at 10:19 p.m. on July 21. The video is just 11 seconds, which makes people feel very weird. The video showed that the vehicle was driving on the road late at night, and the speed was very fast but seemed to be unstable. Jin Fang did not keep shooting in front of the road, but shook the camera to shoot the situation on both sides of the road, and the music in the car was also very loud. The whole video did not hear the conversation between the people in the car, and the atmosphere in the car was weird. She suspected that Jin Fang felt the danger, so she secretly sent the video to her friends to warn them that she was in trouble.

The video finally sent by Jin Fang has been spread on the Internet. After watching it, netizens with sharp eyes can determine the possible shooting location of the video. Ms. Cui said that netizens believe that the video was probably shot while driving north along Adobe Road in the Twentynine Palms area. It starts roughly from the intersection of White Sands Street and Adobe Road, passes through Desert Dunes Road, and from the right side, you can see that it passes through Palms Baptist Church and Cobbs Body Shop, a sheet metal repair shop. …

Ms. Cui said that she had reported the video and the location information obtained to the San Bernardino County Police Station, hoping to find Jin Fang, who was out of touch.

At the same time, Ms. Cui also expressed her concern. Ms. Cui said that the video shows the Twentynine Palms area, near Joshua Tree National Park, where there is a U.S. Marine Corps military training base in a remote desert. …

 

[JennieM]

The Family needs to start making more noise, as much as they can.

 

[Megnut]

If that video was taken surreptitiously, she may have tried to play it off as listening to/watching videos (if the music came from her phone), but it really seems like a deliberate attempt to film as many location markers as possible.... but then why not just text the obvious message, if there was one?

 

[Lusitana]

If that video was taken surreptitiously, she may have tried to play it off as listening to/watching videos (if the music came from her phone), but it really seems like a deliberate attempt to film as many location markers as possible.... but then why not just text the obvious message, if there was one?

I think her sending the pictures and the videos was just because she wanted to share what she was seeing. If she was worried about making her location known, she could've and should've simply shared her location. I don't think she was ever worried at all. I suspect they got into an accident, there's no reason for them to be on the run. And there's no reason for Fitzpatrick to murder her after she sent so many pictures of his face to her family. If they got into a fight for some reason, all he had to do was leave her and go home. This screams accident to me.

 

[Megnut]

I think her sending the pictures and the videos was just because she wanted to share what she was seeing. If she was worried about making her location known, she could've and should've simply shared her location. I don't think she was ever worried at all. I suspect they got into an accident, there's no reason for them to be on the run. And there's no reason for Fitzpatrick to murder her after she sent so many pictures of his face to her family. If they got into a fight for some reason, all he had to do was leave her and go home. This screams accident to me.

I agree, tragic desert accident. But it appears, if I understand the timeline correctly, that he and his phone were mobile longer than she and hers which is concerning...

Jmo

 

[Lusitana]

I agree, tragic desert accident. But it appears, if I understand the timeline correctly, that he and his phone were mobile longer than she and hers which is concerning...

Jmo

I think if the vehicle is located, they will also be located.

 

[cenilla]

I, too, think the two of them might have met their ill fate like Jonathan Gerrish & Ellen Chung family and Lauren Cho. but thne If you read JRF's Linkedin page, it seems that he has zillions of survival skills as a former navy seal... so it's hard to believe they could make mistakes like Gerrish & Chung.

here is a new article published by "Xinmin Weekly" on Baijiahao hosted by Baidul
百度安全验证
(Note: "Xinmin Weekly" is a reputable magazine headquartered in Shanghai, Baidu is sort like China's Google, Bijiahao is a blog-styled information sharing platform where 1.9 million publishers share news and contents on daily basis)

This article gives one detail we did not know before: a man claiming to be JRF's friend contacted Jin's daughter Lin, asking about the progress of the case. he was very inquisitive, but Lin did not trust him.

The article also revealed that Jin Fang was running a homestay business in Portugal before returning to China. Emily met Jin when she booked Jin's homestay, Jin offered great help when Emily missed her airplane but could not get a refund from the airline. The two women hen became close friends.... if you like, you can read the whole article on Baidu website.

 

[ClaireNC]

I think her sending the pictures and the videos was just because she wanted to share what she was seeing. If she was worried about making her location known, she could've and should've simply shared her location. I don't think she was ever worried at all. I suspect they got into an accident, there's no reason for them to be on the run. And there's no reason for Fitzpatrick to murder her after she sent so many pictures of his face to her family. If they got into a fight for some reason, all he had to do was leave her and go home. This screams accident to me.

My first thought was accident too, but as more details have been released I have my doubts. It looks like she was sharing photos with her friends and family nearly every day. Then after that last video at 10 pm on July 21 they stopped. That video was shot in Twentynine Palms. Then his truck was caught on camera on 7/22 in Thermal and his phone last pinged in Julian on 7/24. But there was no other contact from Fang after 7/21. Why would she suddenly stop sending pictures and sharing her adventures with friends and family on 7/21? Especially when he appears to have traveled to other places after that date?

Regarding using location sharing if she felt threatened. It sounds like a lot of people in China are reluctant to use location sharing apps because they fear government tracking. Ms Jin probably doesn’t have a location sharing app on her phone. It wouldn’t be something that she would naturally thing to use when and if she became concerned and felt unsafe.

I agree that this doesn’t sound like a planned murder. However, with his criminal history and military background I fear problems with anger management and possibly substance use disorder (alcohol). My thoughts lean toward something happening to her in a fit of rage and him fleeing the area. He’s a former Navy Seal. He knows how to hide.

 

[acutename]

My first thought was accident too, but as more details have been released I have my doubts. It looks like she was sharing photos with her friends and family nearly every day. Then after that last video at 10 pm on July 21 they stopped. That video was shot in Twentynine Palms. Then his truck was caught on camera on 7/22 in Thermal and his phone last pinged in Julian on 7/24. But there was no other contact from Fang after 7/21. Why would she suddenly stop sending pictures and sharing her adventures with friends and family on 7/21? Especially when he appears to have traveled to other places after that date?

Regarding using location sharing if she felt threatened. It sounds like a lot of people in China are reluctant to use location sharing apps because they fear government tracking. Ms Jin probably doesn’t have a location sharing app on her phone. It wouldn’t be something that she would naturally thing to use when and if she became concerned and felt unsafe.

I agree that this doesn’t sound like a planned murder. However, with his criminal history and military background I fear problems with anger management and possibly substance use disorder (alcohol). My thoughts lean toward something happening to her in a fit of rage and him fleeing the area. He’s a former Navy Seal. He knows how to hide.

If you google him, he was divorced not that long ago from an asian -named woman and he had some business dealings in asia, so that just raises a lot more Qs for me. IMO.maybe means nothing or maybe ? (included links but public sites can have errors too).

Fitzpatrick Hong Huo v. Fitzpatrick John Root​

Trellis.Law
https://trellis.law › case › fitzpatrick-hong-huo-vs-fitzpatr...





On June 30, 2020, Fitzpatrick Hong Huo filed a Divorce,Separation - (Family) case ... Fitzpatrick John Root in the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, CA.

John Root Fitzpatrick, Age 52 - Morongo Valley​

True People Search
https://www.truepeoplesearch.com › find › person





Profile for John Root Fitzpatrick, 52 years old, living in Morongo Valley, CA with the phone number (757) 618-4464. More details available.

 

[ClaireNC]

If you google him, he was divorced not that long ago from an asian -named woman and he had some business dealings in asia, so that just raises a lot more Qs for me. IMO.maybe means nothing or maybe ?

I noticed that too. Some men have a preference for Asian women.

 

[justtrish]

“In addition, police officer Rodriguez told Nandu reporters that the two missing persons are listed as "voluntarily missing" by the police, and the two disappearances have not yet been included in criminal investigation cases.

On August 13, Ms. Lin, the daughter of the missing woman Jin Fang, confirmed to a reporter from Nandu that Jin Fang did not intend to stay in the United States on the Internet, and she had already booked a ticket to return to China.”

Southern Metrpolis Daily (Google Translate)

It must be so frustrating for Fang’s family. The disappearances are being called voluntary at this time, even though they must feel it has to be more than that, either criminal or some terrible misadventure, since Fang stopped communicating abruptly, and the man she was with has also disappeared.

So it states here Fang had already prearranged her return flight to China. I wonder what the date is/was. If the date has already passed, that should be yet another red flag that something is not right here.

I think it's common for those traveling to the US to have a return ticket purchased. Those coming here to vacation don't have an open ended amount of time they can stay. I am not sure the exact specifics, but when coming through customs don't they ask about money, where someone is staying and if a return ticket is booked? Seems like even if someone intended to NOT return back to the country they entered from, they might still have bought a round trip ticket so it wouldn't alarm anyone at customs they didn't intend to leave. I don't have any reason to believe she didn't intend to leave, just pointing out that IF someone entering the US didn't want to leave, they could simply buy the round trip ticket, have proof they had a way to leave and then just disappear. I don't think that happened in this case.