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 #2

[Moonstrawbs]

Thoughts on desert photography:

Taking photos of someone from the bottom of one of the thousands of shallow hills out there is a VERY common thing to do. I dated (and married) a desert native and all his friends lived in a desert town (much larger than Morongo Valley) Every single time we went out to the desert, to dunes, to crags, to the one lone rock formation, to the local mountains, someone took a picture of someone else standing (often throwing a long shadow) and the photographer got this unique angle, if they were down below, especially when the sun was just right. Some people wanted both sun behind and sun in front pictures (a silhouette against that blue desert sky is always mesmerizing and even where I live, people take this type of portrait and enter it into the County Fair).

Here's an example from a distance (but I have dozens of pictures of men standing atop dunes from more close up):

<modsnip - photos removed for lack of a link/copyright violation>

Neither of those is mine. it is also done in the opposite direction (using a low hill to point the camera downward - people go out there just to take photos of either sort. Entire fashion shoots are done out that way.

It gives a Lawrence of Arabia vibe. It's supposed to look adventurous and heroic. And yes, people sometimes take photos of their vehicles in the same vein. I did.
<modsnip - photos removed for lack of a link/copyright violation>

I agree with this. To me, there is nothing suspicious about the photo in question. I think due to perception bias, with what has gone on since that photo, it seems dubious to some people. IMO it's just a casual photo.

 

[tarabull]

FWIW the pic of him with his truck in front of the joshua tree was taken July 17.

 

[Ilex]

There's another article here from the Anza Borrego Desert State Park site about an old trail cam someone found. So it made me wonder if there may be others. Trail Cam from long ago. - Anza Borrego General - Anza Borrego Desert
The chat below the blog post is interesting. <modsnip - you may point members at interesting comments, but as the content of comments may not be discussed on the thread> The date was 8/28/2023

 

[slowpoke]

There's another article here from the Anza Borrego Desert State Park site about an old trail cam someone found. So it made me wonder if there may be others. Trail Cam from long ago. - Anza Borrego General - Anza Borrego Desert
The chat below the blog post is interesting. <modsnip - you may point members at interesting comments, but as the content of comments may not be discussed on the thread>. The date was 8/28/2023

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped>

This may or may not have any relevance to this Anza Borrego camera, but I walk regularly at a trail by my home. There’s an agency whose function is to protect this habitat. I saw a trail cam once at a particular spot for a good while, and then one day it was gone. It was explained to me that they place the cam there for a certain time period, then move it to another area of the preserve. MOO

 

[10ofRods]

I don’t see anything strange about that picture and my impression is that she took it and sent it to her family and friends to show off her new boyfriend. If you look at the whole picture it is pretty composed showing him with the truck, dirt road, Joshua tree and the sky. A good snapshot of the environment she was experiencing. It’s even kind of cute the way JRF looks like he’s leaning in the same direction as the tree.
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I agree. I would love to have a picture of my guy out that way - it's a great, well-composed picture. The lone Joshua Tree gives a mood. And the clouds are cooperating beautifully. His outfit matches his truck. The colors are why so many people go to places like this (the desert can be a dull beige, but here it is a beautiful reddish color and the little bits of gold and green right behind him work beautifully).

The first thing we did when I got my current 4WD vehicle is drive out to Death Valley and attempt some desert photography featuring our truck and occasionally, ourselves. We also went on roads that we would never have gone on in a sedan. It was an adventure.

In this picture, I'm convinced that while this truck has good ground clearance, that it doesn't have the heavy duty tires that I have on my truck - but they look adequate for the road they're on.

Such a well-composed picture. Jin Fang is an excellent photographer (all that blue at the top of the picture is reminiscent of the best of desert painting and photography, to me).

IMO.

 

[Moonstrawbs]

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If I'm getting a photo of a friend, we do all kinds of angles. Especially if on a trip or with a nice background etc. Getting down low to take a photo isn't weird to me. She may have already been sitting down anyway and then got a photo. I think it's a good photo. JMO.

 

[Ilex]

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped>

This may or may not have any relevance to this Anza Borrego camera, but I walk regularly at a trail by my home. There’s an agency whose function is to protect this habitat. I saw a trail cam once at a particular spot for a good while, and then one day it was gone. It was explained to me that they place the cam there for a certain time period, then move it to another area of the preserve. MOO

Where I live we have some parks and some of the universities and environmental agencies put up trail cams to keep records of certain things. But I'm wondering if there might be other private cams out there? As for the abandoned cam, how long would it take for a trail cam to stop working and be in the condition it was found in? I know I've left mine out for over a year and it still has a charge.

 

[Ilex]

I agree. I would love to have a picture of my guy out that way - it's a great, well-composed picture. The lone Joshua Tree gives a mood. And the clouds are cooperating beautifully. His outfit matches his truck. The colors are why so many people go to places like this (the desert can be a dull beige, but here it is a beautiful reddish color and the little bits of gold and green right behind him work beautifully).

The first thing we did when I got my current 4WD vehicle is drive out to Death Valley and attempt some desert photography featuring our truck and occasionally, ourselves. We also went on roads that we would never have gone on in a sedan. It was an adventure.

In this picture, I'm convinced that while this truck has good ground clearance, that it doesn't have the heavy duty tires that I have on my truck - but they look adequate for the road they're on.

Such a well-composed picture. Jin Fang is an excellent photographer (all that blue at the top of the picture is reminiscent of the best of desert painting and photography, to me).

IMO.

Do you think that truck would have been able to adequately traverse the road to Harper Flat?

 

[sfinkz]

Do we know where they had been on the 21st?

RSBM
I’m not sure the sent 7/21 sightseeing photos, from Old Dale, have been verified via time stamp as being taken 7/21.
The last contact video (traveling north on Adobe Road, north of White Sands Drive—away from the highway, Morongo Balley or Thermal—about 4.5 miles south of main gate of military base) received at 22:19, however, has definitely been verified as being sent (but by same token coulda been filmed earlier. It is so unlike the other vid/pics, however, an edgy, at-the-moment vibe).
Our VI has confirmed JRF accessed either the entry gate or fuel pump (don’t recall which) also at 22:19.
(I’m assuming the fuel pump was at the Marine Mart & Gas, in the cultural center of the base, not the more distant (4miles) MCX by Ocotillo Gate).
Why? The 29 Palms base is a city unto itself (over 10,000 active duty soldiers, 20,000 family members, an equal number of DoD contractors and a smattering of retirees) and Borrego-sized at 1000 sq mi
(according to, www.29palms.marines.mil)
In no means is it a cultural hub, however. The sidewalks roll up early at the base. Yes, gasoline is 20c cheaper. At the time of fill-up, it appears a coupla nearby fast-food joints were all that were open. Even for a Friday night, the commissary, Officer’s Club, bowling alley, movie theater, all shuttered.
Is it possible JRF knew someone living on base, like the duct tape man or another associate?
Why else make the trek to the base?
Painfully, FJ has not been heard of since.

 

[NeverPersonal]

After careful consideration, I have a feeling Fang is out there too, and perhaps the truck broke down/they got in an accident (was described as pretty wrecked?) and maybe John got hurt and stayed with the truck initially while Fang tried to go get help of some sort but didn't come back so John got out and tried to make his way that direction. I feel like if John planned on doing something nefarious to Fang, he wouldn't have let her take all these pics of him/his truck & send them to family.

 

[vls12345]

Is it possible JRF knew someone living on base, like the duct tape man or another associate?

That's a really good point/question. Imo.

 

[NeverPersonal]

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Photography is entirely subjective. And someone having a good eye doesn't mean every pic they'll ever take is of top-notch standard.

I agree. I would love to have a picture of my guy out that way - it's a great, well-composed picture. The lone Joshua Tree gives a mood. And the clouds are cooperating beautifully. His outfit matches his truck. The colors are why so many people go to places like this (the desert can be a dull beige, but here it is a beautiful reddish color and the little bits of gold and green right behind him work beautifully).

The first thing we did when I got my current 4WD vehicle is drive out to Death Valley and attempt some desert photography featuring our truck and occasionally, ourselves. We also went on roads that we would never have gone on in a sedan. It was an adventure.

In this picture, I'm convinced that while this truck has good ground clearance, that it doesn't have the heavy duty tires that I have on my truck - but they look adequate for the road they're on.

Such a well-composed picture. Jin Fang is an excellent photographer (all that blue at the top of the picture is reminiscent of the best of desert painting and photography, to me).

IMO.

If I'm getting a photo of a friend, we do all kinds of angles. Especially if on a trip or with a nice background etc. Getting down low to take a photo isn't weird to me. She may have already been sitting down anyway and then got a photo. I think it's a good photo. JMO.

I agree.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

JRF's car was seen in Thermal on the 22nd and his phone last pinged in Julian on the 24th. From Thermal to Julian is a fairly direct route along 86 and 78, and the route passes Harper Flats/Harper Canyon where JRF's car and remains were ultimately found. It would only take about 1h 30m to travel the 65 miles from Thermal to Harper Canyon, so it's possible JRF (and JF) could have already been at Harper Canyon on the 22nd or early on the 23rd.

I don't know how much area the Julian cell tower covers, but it's maybe not impossible that JRF's phone could have pinged the Julian cell tower from Harper Canyon. He (and JF) may have never been in Julian at all. It would definitely be pushing the capabilities of most cell towers to cover so much distance, but...

We only know that JRF's last ping was to a tower in Julian. I don't think we can be sure his phone was actually in Julian, only that it was nearby. What if JRF (and JF) arrived at Harper Canyon on the 22nd or early on the 23rd after the car was seen in Thermal; JRF's phone could have been pinging the tower in Julian the entire time, right from the 22nd/23rd through to the last ping on the 24th.

I see this as a possible timeline if what happened was a tragic accident: JF sending her family a video late on the 21st telling them she's going camping, and then setting out with JRF to Harper Canyon (via Thermal) on the 22nd. Something happened to them both at Harper Canyon on the 22nd or 23rd, no more than 24-36 hours after JF's last contact with her family and before she had the chance to contact them again. JRF's phone was possibly pinging the tower in Julian the entire time until its battery ran out on the 24th. We don't know where JF's phone was after her last contact at 29 Palms, but it's possible her phone was pinging from the same area as JRF's until it too lost power on the 25th.

 

[Lyanna]

Agreed, but I can’t quite put my finger on where the dissonance (for me) is coming from. The upward angle may be part of it?

The black thing in his hand bothers me because it seems too chunky for a phone and has what appear to be largish pad/contact points at the end. I dunno, maybe I’ve stared at, manipulated, folded and spindled it for too long.

I thought it was a phone in one of those indestructible phone cases ?

Moo

 

[ClaireNC]

No, I think she meant they were getting ready to go camping the next day. It was a late-in-the-evening message just to say hello and let everyone know what was up. She doesn't say "We're going camping right now." Thermal is less than an hour away. There's nothing in between 29 Palms and Thermal to keep them on the road (there's basically nothing out there, even Thermal isn't that big).

Something happened. I would assume that one reason they'd want to go to the Thermal area is to try some of the hot springs, which normally happens during the day.

Do we know where they had been on the 21st?

From the photos, it looks like they were in the northeast section of Joshua Tree National Park on the 21st. That’s the day the photo in the Old Dale Mining district was taken. Then the video on Adobe Rd. in 29 Palms was taken that evening. It looks like they were exploring the northeast area, then took Adobe Rd towards the military base on the way home for the evening. Presumably to get gas before turning in for the night.

 

[slowpoke]

RSBM
I’m not sure the sent 7/21 sightseeing photos, from Old Dale, have been verified via time stamp as being taken 7/21.
The last contact video (traveling north on Adobe Road, north of White Sands Drive—away from the highway, Morongo Balley or Thermal—about 4.5 miles south of main gate of military base) received at 22:19, however, has definitely been verified as being sent (but by same token coulda been filmed earlier. It is so unlike the other vid/pics, however, an edgy, at-the-moment vibe).
Our VI has confirmed JRF accessed either the entry gate or fuel pump (don’t recall which) also at 22:19.
(I’m assuming the fuel pump was at the Marine Mart & Gas, in the cultural center of the base, not the more distant (4miles) MCX by Ocotillo Gate).
Why? The 29 Palms base is a city unto itself (over 10,000 active duty soldiers, 20,000 family members, an equal number of DoD contractors and a smattering of retirees) and Borrego-sized at 1000 sq mi
(according to, www.29palms.marines.mil)
In no means is it a cultural hub, however. The sidewalks roll up early at the base. Yes, gasoline is 20c cheaper. At the time of fill-up, it appears a coupla nearby fast-food joints were all that were open. Even for a Friday night, the commissary, Officer’s Club, bowling alley, movie theater, all shuttered.
Is it possible JRF knew someone living on base, like the duct tape man or another associate?
Why else make the trek to the base?
Painfully, FJ has not been heard of since.

It doesn’t seem unreasonable to me if the only purpose for entering the base (we don’t know the purpose) was for filling up his pickup truck with gas at the gas station there.

If they had had a full day of driving around touring sites (burning a lot of gas as a result) and the plan was to do more driving the next morning, maybe JRF thought it prudent to fill up the gas tank that night.

Maybe he always fills up there due to the better prices, and who knows, maybe he has a credit card that gives him cash back rewards there (just thinking how my family always fills up at Costco, and with their credit card we get even more cash back rewards when we fill up there.)

MOO

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I've just been reading about Harper Flat, and it sounds like you have to do a lot of dangerous driving over rough, mountainous terrain to get a car to Harper Flat in the first place. I've seen numerous stories of cars overturning or slipping down the rocky cliffs when people were attempting it.

If JRF's car was found wrecked at Harper Flat and his remains were found further down the canyon after the recent flooding, I think it might increase the possibility of a tragic car accident.

 

[slowpoke]

I see this as a possible timeline if what happened was a tragic accident: JF sending her family a video late on the 21st telling them she's going camping, and then setting out with JRF to Harper Canyon (via Thermal) on the 22nd. Something happened to them both at Harper Canyon on the 22nd or 23rd, no more than 24-36 hours after JF's last contact with her family and before she had the chance to contact them again. JRF's phone was possibly pinging the tower in Julian the entire time until its battery ran out on the 24th. We don't know where JF's phone was after her last contact at 29 Palms, but it's possible her phone was pinging from the same area as JRF's until it too lost power on the 25th.

Above snipped for focus ^

How does the condition of JRF’s home (on 8/1 as noted by deputies performing a wellbeing check) fit into this possible scenario, though—the open front door, the odor of decomposition?

 

[10ofRods]

My brain is doing that concave/convex thing with the light and shadows. That looks to me like the remains were found on a ridge, but I'm assuming he was actually in a furrow? If they were washed some distance by the water from the storms, as some on here have theorised, they would have to be, wouldn't they?

MOO

Good eye! Yes, they were definitely in a sloped area and not on a bare hill-top. Up in those ravines, there's very little actual flat land. Almost everything is wrinkled and furrowed, with tiny washes setting themselves up to be bigger ones, later on. The sand eroded from all of those ridges ends up down on the flats (making them flatter, in the beginning of a long desert process). I'm sure that ridge has many uneven surfaces.

As everyone can see, there isn't even much or any grass growing anywhere (nothing to hold the soil down) and only a few plants survive (and often have a long dormant phase - it looks like the shrubs might be in the mesquite family - but unable to grow leaves for a long time, not necessarily dead, though). Cholla cactus is rarely found in places like this - nor are Joshua Trees or most cacti). Cacti tend to grow in rocky flats, where there's something to make a little dirt and not just sand. So most people don't worry about cholla cactus biting them (because most desert goers know what cholla looks like - it's pretty obvious).

Question really is what was JRF doing up there? If it's really two miles away from his truck...if his body was on that ridge above Pinyon Wash, it was found fairly high up (so I wouldn't expect a lot of being swept by water, but certainly some).

However, we simply don't know much about the precise conditions of where his body was found. What I see are a lot of rounded granite rocks, typical of a being further down in a wash).

If it were not for the report of decomp smell at the mobile home, I'd still be thinking this could be misadventure/accident.

IMO.

 

[10ofRods]

Thoughts on desert photography:

Taking photos of someone from the bottom of one of the thousands of shallow hills out there is a VERY common thing to do. I dated (and married) a desert native and all his friends lived in a desert town (much larger than Morongo Valley) Every single time we went out to the desert, to dunes, to crags, to the one lone rock formation, to the local mountains, someone took a picture of someone else standing (often throwing a long shadow) and the photographer got this unique angle, if they were down below, especially when the sun was just right. Some people wanted both sun behind and sun in front pictures (a silhouette against that blue desert sky is always mesmerizing and even where I live, people take this type of portrait and enter it into the County Fair).

Here's an example from a distance (but I have dozens of pictures of men standing atop dunes from more close up):




<modsnip - photos removed for lack of a link/copyright violation>

Neither of those is mine. it is also done in the opposite direction (using a low hill to point the camera downward - people go out there just to take photos of either sort. Entire fashion shoots are done out that way.

It gives a Lawrence of Arabia vibe. It's supposed to look adventurous and heroic. And yes, people sometimes take photos of their vehicles in the same vein. I did.

<modsnip - photos removed for lack of a link/copyright violation>

Replying to my own post to note that the two photos were in the public domain. One depicted a man on a desert hill, the other a truck. But you get the idea.