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

[10ofRods]

So, it is not true he was on probation?
If he was, the terms can specify that you cannot travel outside of the country.

He was on probation and had pleaded guilty to the charge (admitting guilt was part of getting the diversion). It is kind of an odd situation.

So he admits guilt, is told that if he can go a certain amount of time on probation without infractions (I think he still had one infraction) that he will be taken off probation and the initial charge will be dropped. So he didn't go to trial (before either judge or jury) and was not convicted. He admitted to his crime, but was not convicted and basically cleaned up his act.

This is a privilege given to veterans. The average US citizen doesn't usually get these kinds of opportunities.

IMO. During the time of his probation, he likely couldn't travel. By the time JF arrived, he was off probation and could have traveled. But I think JF wanted to come to the US (and seems better traveled than JRF, frankly). And he might very well have made it sound like an attractive, mysterious desert place. Lots of people think deserts beckon to them.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I agree. Quite puzzling. I can't go with "situation the result of Hillary storm" because that storm is 20 days further into the timeline. The photojournalist who gave the skeleton pictures to LE says on Oct 17 that she got the pictures from a hiker a little more than a month before. So, let's say Sept 16. I would wager that the hiker who found the remains didn't just immediately have the photojournalist on speed dial, but probably followed her (she's amazing at reporting on wilderness conditions).

Car problems had to have happened much earlier. If there *were* car problems (in July ?) then the two could have separated for some reason. I would think that if JRF went on down toward the 78 on his own to get help, that Fang would attempt the same route if she thought he was not able to come back. Most people would try to stay together.

If both of them were in that wash, yes, it's unpredictable. Stranger things have happened, of course - but NO sign of Fang is really weird. Apparently, just her backpack - not necessarily in the wash, but reported as being near Highway 78. That's quite far for a gully washer to float a back pack, but not impossible, and there was flooding on the north side of the road during that period - so maybe the whole area was inundated.

Still, I think all of that happened long after they were incapacitated. The hurricane moved through around August 21. They were out of touch with anyone they knew after July 24, as far as we know. No way they were alive out there for a month. The behavior of bones in such conditions perplexes all of us, as yes, some bones are lighter (and can be swept along on the surface of a flood) and others are heavier, and individuals are different.

I just wish we knew if the truck itself was moved by debris and water (indicating the power of the flood). More important, I hope the truck can reveal when it first arrived up there.

IMO

I possibly haven't made it clear, and if so I apologise. It has always been my opinion that JRF (and likely JF also) died close to the time they went missing. I believe something most likely happened on the ridges above Harper Flat, and their bodies remained there, undiscovered, until the flooding washed one or both of them further down the canyon.

I don't believe Storm Hilary had anything to do with what initially happened, only that it affected the evidence afterwards.

 

[ZVT24]

SBM

The case still being sealed makes me wonder if LE either DON'T know what happened, or perhaps think there might be third-party involvement.

I wonder in the case is still sealed be case it involves a foreigner, specifically a Chinese National.

 

[10ofRods]

I possibly haven't made it clear, and if so I apologise. It has always been my opinion that JRF (and likely JF also) died close to the time they went missing. I believe something most likely happened on the ridges above Harper Flat, and their bodies remained there, undiscovered, until the flooding washed one or both of them further down the canyon.

I don't believe Storm Hilary had anything to do with what initially happened, only that it affected the evidence afterwards.

Glad to think you are considering that they may have been (at some point) trying to get above Harper Flat (because, well, planning a low altitude downward hike - requiring so much effort to get back up to their truck - is truly extraordinary in such hot weather).

An early morning or early evening hike up above the Flat seems more sensible - although it's still possible they did no such thing. But why - after apparently doing very little hiking/photography in Joshua Tree, did they decide to go up to Pinyon Wash/Harper Flat and then...go hiking? Without stores of water to return to as needed?

The find of Fang's backpack is consistent with the two of them being there together, doing some kind of outdoor thing (just stopping for photos, as usual?) What else did they run into? Why are both phones out of commission? If both were still together and adventuring on the 24th, what happened that made JRF's phone cease to ping????

His body wasn't *that* far from the truck and was likely much nearer the truck before the rains. What could have happened to disable JRF from self-rescue in a situation like this - it's not as if they were that far from Highway 78. Did he not have a camelback and if he didn't, why not? If he had one, I hope they find it. But LE saying there was virtually no water in the truck is quite concerning.

One element we haven't talked about much is that people in the budding phase of a romance get a lot of dopamine hits and may very well be a bit more careless/carefree/deliriously happy than usual. This can lead to poor decision-making. I just think it strange that her phone stopped working and that his ceases to ping, apparently, after the 24th.

IMO.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

SBM


I wonder in the case is still sealed be case it involves a foreigner, specifically a Chinese National.

I mentioned that in the part of my post that you snipped. I'm just not sure the case would remain sealed if LE believe they know what happened. Unless this case is going to be sealed and swept under the rug with no explanation ever given... stranger things have happened, but I'd hope not.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Glad to think you are considering that they may have been (at some point) trying to get above Harper Flat (because, well, planning a low altitude downward hike - requiring so much effort to get back up to their truck - is truly extraordinary in such hot weather).

An early morning or early evening hike up above the Flat seems more sensible - although it's still possible they did no such thing. But why - after apparently doing very little hiking/photography in Joshua Tree, did they decide to go up to Pinyon Wash/Harper Flat and then...go hiking? Without stores of water to return to as needed?

The find of Fang's backpack is consistent with the two of them being there together, doing some kind of outdoor thing (just stopping for photos, as usual?) What else did they run into? Why are both phones out of commission? If both were still together and adventuring on the 24th, what happened that made JRF's phone cease to ping????

His body wasn't *that* far from the truck and was likely much nearer the truck before the rains. What could have happened to disable JRF from self-rescue in a situation like this - it's not as if they were that far from Highway 78. Did he not have a camelback and if he didn't, why not? If he had one, I hope they find it. But LE saying there was virtually no water in the truck is quite concerning.

One element we haven't talked about much is that people in the budding phase of a romance get a lot of dopamine hits and may very well be a bit more careless/carefree/deliriously happy than usual. This can lead to poor decision-making. I just think it strange that her phone stopped working and that his ceases to ping, apparently, after the 24th.

IMO.

Oh no, I've always thought they were up at the Flat for a reason. If they were just doing one of the hikes I'd expect them to park the car closer to 78. Assuming both JF and JRF were alive and well when they arrived, I believe they were probably exploring the archaeological sites on the ridges.

The heat would be a concern, but of course it's possibly one of them had an unexpected medical problem. They may have only been a short distance from the car with no apparent need for a lot of supplies. If something happened to JRF (heart attack, for example) would JF have been able to get help?

 

[patternsfinder]

As a person who lives in the desert and drives around, sometimes to remote places - I would absolutely never drive to a remote place in the summer without a ton of water in my car. That's just desert survival 101. You could have car problems far from services, other people, or cell coverage. You could get stuck in soft sand. So many other things can happen. I keep at least one large thing of water in my car during hot months, even if I'm not going to any notably remote place. And I am not a Navy Seal trained in survival, I'm just someone who does basic smart things to be prepared for occurrences that are not that statistically improbable.

If my dog is with me (and he usually is) I bring even more water. Let alone if I had another person with me, particularly someone not familiar with desert heat who I was trying to impress and make sure was well taken care of.

I can't see any logical way JRF and JF went out there, even for a day drive, let alone a hike or off road adventure, without notable amounts of water in the truck. And as LE has informed us, there was no notably water in the truck.

 

[Herat]

There is no date on this site, but it specifically notes the difficulty of each road and that "the squeeze" to "heart attack hill" were impassable. I am not sure where that is exactly, but it is my understanding it is near Harper Flat.

All roads

borregohiking.com

I watched videos of Jeeps doing Heart Attack Hill and The Squeeze, which are on Pinion Mountain "Road". I saw that Toyota Tacoma video, too.

This is the sort of stuff you do with other people and vehicles so that you don't cause severe damage to your daily driver and are marooned, without another vehicle to drive you back to safety. And certainly not in the height of July heat, in an area where getting marooned or injured can mean death from hyperthermia before you even get dehydrated.

In looking at the routes to Harper Flat, I'm curious about how people think they drove to the Harper Flat area:

1. Pinion Wash Road from Highway 78 to Nolina Wash looks to have several very rocky areas.

@mark1969 Based on what has been posted here, IMO the truck was disabled somewhere in the purple area because there is a fence that blocks vehicle access to Harper Flat. The fence can be seen here on Google Maps. The foot route of escape is the yellow line toward Harper Canyon. Remains location is marked per reports (5 miles from the truck as the crow flies). The wash area away from Harper Canyon Trailhead and toward Hwy 78 (as described here where the backpack was found) would be that large yellow wash area flowing away from Harper Canyon and the remains.

View attachment 456439

Below is the same map turned around showing the location of Hwy 78 better. The search area should be the yellow wash area IMO unless FJ stayed with the truck. But the discovery of her backpack (seemingly in the yellow wash area) would make that area a priority IMO.

View attachment 456440

All roads

borregohiking.com

I've been torturing myself all day trying to reconcile that I Hike San Diego trip report and maps with where the remains were found. Until I realized the I Hike San Diego report was actually hiking Pinyon Mountain Wash, and not really the Harper Canyon area where the remains were found. I think the Petroglyphs are more in that area, not in the region of the remains. The fence and gate are also in the southwest corner of Harper Flat, and the fence appears to be there to prevent vehicles from driving west on Pinyon Mountain Road where the steep Heart Attack Hill and The Squeeze would cause unsuspecting vehicles to get stuck and require removal.

With this information, it makes sense that they intended to go visit petroglyphs in the Pinyon Mountain area. The most likely route to where the vehicle ended up has them driving south, off of Highway 78 on Pinyon Wash Road. The Hiking report notes that several vehicles got stuck in sand on this route, but they would have made it through onto the Harper Flat area. Perhaps the conditions had changed or he was on a variant of the route and damaged the vehicle.

As someone skilled and self-reliant, I don't think they went up the Harper Canyon on the northeast corner of Harper Flat as an exploration. There is a short drive off of Highway 78 that goes south to the northern end of Harper Canyon where there is a picturesque area described as Cactus Garden. Then they could have hiked south farther into Harper Canyon to see the sights. But the vehicle would have been parked on the north end of Harper Canyon, not where it was found.

The south end of Harper Canyon is completely opposite the trailhead, the fence and gate, and the petroglyph region. There are some descriptions of flowers in that region, but it isn't a hike that is particularly notable, and going north up the canyon would mean another hike back down to the vehicle. And this last hike would have been in the blast-furnace heat of late day or possibly in the evening.

However, if you had damaged your vehicle and were unable to drive back out, this might appear to be a reasonable route to Highway 78. This could explain why her backpack is reported to be found north-east of the Harper Canyon (yellow area in the map in the link). I have to seriously consider that they needed to leave the vehicle and were looking to getting help via the apparent closest trail in Harper Canyon, but something went seriously wrong. Lost their water? Heat stroke? Serious fall with fracture or head injury? Did she have footwear suitable for rough hiking over rocks? Were there any water bottles found anywhere in the region?

Personally, I would have thought to retrace the route I drove in if my vehicle was disabled, following tire tracks in Pinyon Wash back to Highway 78. But he was clearly experienced and resourceful, and until we find more about her or the specifics of the vehicle when it was located, or the contents of her backpack, can only speculate about their thinking.

It goes without saying that I don't think he had any intention of hurting her or a murder-suicide.

 

[tvscum]

@Herat The exact location of the truck has not been made public. The SD Sheriff released a statement saying the truck was found on Harper Flat, but that can't be true unless he drove through that fence. MOO. Also, if he came south from Hwy 78 down Pinyon Wash and got stuck. I think he would have walked back north to 78. I also do not think he came through the squeeze or down Pinyon Drop Off. Those routes are too scary. IMO. So that leaves me thinking he drove up Fish Creek from the south and eventually reached that fence at Harper Flat, and veered off from there into one of the nearby washes (maybe toward Harper Cabin) or up toward Pinyon Drop Off from the south side and became disabled.

 

[Herat]

As a person who lives in the desert and drives around, sometimes to remote places - I would absolutely never drive to a remote place in the summer without a ton of water in my car. That's just desert survival 101. You could have car problems far from services, other people, or cell coverage. You could get stuck in soft sand. So many other things can happen. I keep at least one large thing of water in my car during hot months, even if I'm not going to any notably remote place. And I am not a Navy Seal trained in survival, I'm just someone who does basic smart things to be prepared for occurrences that are not that statistically improbable.

If my dog is with me (and he usually is) I bring even more water. Let alone if I had another person with me, particularly someone not familiar with desert heat who I was trying to impress and make sure was well taken care of.

I can't see any logical way JRF and JF went out there, even for a day drive, let alone a hike or off road adventure, without notable amounts of water in the truck. And as LE has informed us, there was no notably water in the truck.

And desert survival always suggests to stay with the vehicle. It can afford shade. The mirrors can be taken off to provide reflectors for cars or planes. You can also use the engine oil to start a very smoky fire or burn the spare tire to attract attention.

 

[Herat]

@Herat The exact location of the truck has not been made public. The SD Sheriff released a statement saying the truck was found on Harper Flat, but that can't be true unless he drove through that fence. MOO. Also, if he came south from Hwy 78 down Pinyon Wash and got stuck. I think he would have walked back north to 78. I also do not think he came through the squeeze or down Pinyon Drop Off. Those routes are too scary. IMO. So that leaves me thinking he drove up Fish Creek from the south and eventually reached that fence at Harper Flat, and veered off from there into one of the nearby washes (maybe toward Harper Cabin) or up toward Pinyon Drop Off from the south side and became disabled.

I agree he did not drive into Harper Flat along Pinyon Mountain Road. Because of Heart Attack Hill and The Squeeze, but also because he would have ended up on the wrong side of the fence, on the west, outside of Harper Flat. My understanding from the vague report is that his vehicle was east of the fence. That doesn't mean that's where they left it. Those floods could have moved it substantially, so we really don't know where they left the vehicle. It would help a lot to read a report on the condition when found and whether it had substantial rock damage or it was all potentially flood damage. I'm thinking the vehicle had been damaged by the drive in, and had to be abandoned. Pinyon Mountain Road, is accessed from Highway 53 near Shelter Valley to the west or from Highway 78 to the north, and would be a longer drive.

*I note that there appears to be a dirt road that does bypass Heart Attack Hill and The Squeeze and brings you into the very south end of Harper Flat. I have no idea if this allows you to bypass the fence, too.

So the fence is at the very southwest corner of Harper Flat and driving south on Pinyon Wash from Highway 78 would allow you to drive into Harper Flat. That's how the two hiking reports I have read accessed Harper Flat. Even though I see rocks on the southern part of Pinyon Wash, it seemed to be feasible for Toyota 4Runners (same body as Toyota Tacoma) and a Lexus.

I haven't read any reports about accessing Harper Flat from the south and Fish Creek seems to peter out after a while on Google maps. The report of the kid missing since 2009 who was last seen in Fish Creek, but whose vehicle was found trashed in Harper Flat would suggest this is not a reliable access road.

Just conjecturing. Knowing where the vehicle was found would be really helpful

And again, this just emphasizes why this is all to be avoided during the brutal heat of late July and without a second vehicle, or satellite phone.

 

[tvscum]

@Herat I do not think you can drive a vehicle south from Pinyon Wash to Harper Flat because of these rocks:

Pinyon Wash · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, CA

★★★★★ · Off roading area

www.google.com

Pinyon Wash from intersection with Nolina Wash to End - Anza Borrego

It's a foot path only.

 

[Herat]

@Herat I do not think you can drive a vehicle south from Pinyon Wash to Harper Flat because of these rocks:

Pinyon Wash · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, CA

★★★★★ · Off roading area

www.google.com

It's a foot path only.

Agree completely. Those are the exact rocks I saw. So how did the vehicle get into the flat?

He could not possibly have driven south of Highway 78 through Harper Canyon.

I looked again at the Google map, and you are correct: There is a drive into the south-west part of Harper Flat, north from Fish Creek. It looks like a really long drive on predominantly sandy conditions, more than twice as long as Pinyon Mountain Road with the bypass.

Even then, it appears the vehicle would have ended up on the west side of the fence. I was just assuming it had been found on the east side of the fence.

Or perhaps the fence was taken out by the flooding after JRF's death and LE can't be sure.

Anyway, if they had left the vehicle near the fence there would still have been a very long brutal slog through hot shade-less desert wash material to get to the southern end of Harper Canyon.

Their route doesn't make much sense, other than I think they were trying to escape Harper Flat and a disabled vehicle.

 

[tvscum]

"..a blue Toyota Tacoma truck was located in the Harper Flat’s area several miles from where the human remains were located."
There is wiggle room in that statement. "Harper Flat's area." IMO it was west of the fence but close to Harper Flat.

Family notified ex Navy SEAL found dead in desert, female companion still missing

Bones found in the Harper Canyon area of Anza-Borrego on September 17.

www.cbs8.com

 

[megs1477]

Going with the theory that the truck became disabled and they decided to hike out to find help…
I’m going to make several assumptions:
1- They did not have adequate water, as they did not intend to spend an extended amount of time outside the vehicle.
2- Cell service is very bad. No service would mean no GPS/Map.
3- They likely were not dressed appropriately for an extended hike.

There are several possible scenarios that could have led to the truck becoming disabled. Regardless, it’s possible they decided to hike out to get help, verses staying and waiting to be found. The only reason I can think for not retracing their path, would be the higher likelihood of encountering someone else on the trail.
Knowing JRF’s background, something would have had to happen to cause him to become incapacitated. Possibly heat stroke, perhaps a fall that made it so he could not walk. The. JF continues on without him, heading towards 78 but not knowing where to go because there is no cell service or WiFi signal.
JRF’s phone could have pinged off a Julian tower in that area if it was in his person or in his truck and managed to establish a weak signal at some point. JF’s phone would have had no connection at any time since she relied on WiFi.
Following the path from the truck, JRF went down first, JF shed the backpack and continued on.
Alternately, JF could have become disorientated and continued on off the trail and the backpack was washed by the storm.

I strongly believe had misinformation not circulated early on, this event would have been considered a tragic accident by most, if not all. While I may be wrong, I still have not seen a single fact or piece of evidence in this case that points to anything other than an accident.

 

[megs1477]

So, it is not true he was on probation?
If he was, the terms can specify that you cannot travel outside of the country.

Technically no he was not on probation. He was in a veterans treatment program, which is akin to a pre-trial intervention. When he completed that program, a plea deal in his case was accepted that reduced his charges to a single misdemeanor.

Probation generally takes place after you are sentenced. The term Probation is used in the docket but oversight is handled by a different department. In this case, the Veterans Treatment Court and pre-trial services.

Prior to April 2023 all of the charges would show as open cases depending on the type of background check run. After April, everything would show as dismissed/stricken except his 2017 misdemeanor charge.

 

[megs1477]

He was on probation and had pleaded guilty to the charge (admitting guilt was part of getting the diversion). It is kind of an odd situation.

So he admits guilt, is told that if he can go a certain amount of time on probation without infractions (I think he still had one infraction) that he will be taken off probation and the initial charge will be dropped. So he didn't go to trial (before either judge or jury) and was not convicted. He admitted to his crime, but was not convicted and basically cleaned up his act.

This is a privilege given to veterans. The average US citizen doesn't usually get these kinds of opportunities.

This is untrue and also a mischaracterization of what happened. I posted the exact court actions from the San Bernardino Superior Court in a prior post.

Also, many courts offer “specialty courts” that have the same benefits as Veterans Treatment Court, which offer these same benefits to the average US citizen. I cover cases in these courts on a daily basis and can provide examples if needed.

 

[Herat]

"..a blue Toyota Tacoma truck was located in the Harper Flat’s area several miles from where the human remains were located."
There is wiggle room in that statement. "Harper Flat's area." IMO it was west of the fence but close to Harper Flat.

Family notified ex Navy SEAL found dead in desert, female companion still missing

Bones found in the Harper Canyon area of Anza-Borrego on September 17.

www.cbs8.com

Harper's Flat is about 2.5 x 1.5 miles in size.

A direct walk from the fence to the southernmost opening of Harper Canyon would be about 3 miles, and it looks as though it would be a mild uphill grade without any shade.

 

[Herat]

Going with the theory that the truck became disabled and they decided to hike out to find help…
I’m going to make several assumptions:
1- They did not have adequate water, as they did not intend to spend an extended amount of time outside the vehicle.
2- Cell service is very bad. No service would mean no GPS/Map.
3- They likely were not dressed appropriately for an extended hike.

There are several possible scenarios that could have led to the truck becoming disabled. Regardless, it’s possible they decided to hike out to get help, verses staying and waiting to be found. The only reason I can think for not retracing their path, would be the higher likelihood of encountering someone else on the trail.
Knowing JRF’s background, something would have had to happen to cause him to become incapacitated. Possibly heat stroke, perhaps a fall that made it so he could not walk. The. JF continues on without him, heading towards 78 but not knowing where to go because there is no cell service or WiFi signal.
JRF’s phone could have pinged off a Julian tower in that area if it was in his person or in his truck and managed to establish a weak signal at some point. JF’s phone would have had no connection at any time since she relied on WiFi.
Following the path from the truck, JRF went down first, JF shed the backpack and continued on.
Alternately, JF could have become disorientated and continued on off the trail and the backpack was washed by the storm.

I strongly believe had misinformation not circulated early on, this event would have been considered a tragic accident by most, if not all. While I may be wrong, I still have not seen a single fact or piece of evidence in this case that points to anything other than an accident.

If we assume the truck was near the fence, the most prominent trails would have been a foot trail going directly north from the fence area toward Pinyon Wash. And there would have been a trail going west up along Pinyon Canyon. They knew how long the road along Fish Creek was, and it would have seemed to be too long to retrace their steps.

The opening of Harper Canyon, however, would not have a direct trail, nor would it appear to be the obvious easiest exit, IMHO.

To me, Harper Canyon would not look like the best route. By distance, it might have looked more direct on a map and appear to be less distance than getting to Highway 78 by Pinyon Wash, but Pinyon Wash at least had a road of 5 miles and a chance of cell service, whereas Harper Canyon would have been 5 miles of no trail and no cell service.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Harper's Flat is about 2.5 x 1.5 miles in size.

A direct walk from the fence to the southernmost opening of Harper Canyon would be about 3 miles, and it looks as though it would be a mild uphill grade without any shade.

I think it's the other way around. The south-western corner of Harper Flat, near the fence, is at 800m elevation. The north-eastern corner heading into Harper Canyon is at 700m elevation. It's a downhill grade which is why I suspect items/remains may have been washed down into the canyon.