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

[Herat]

Here are also nice photos of a 4 person family camping trip "up" Pinyon Wash (in elevation, actually going south) with hiking into the north side of Harper Flat. Nice photos of residual Native American camp, grinding stone traces, pottery, and some nice shots of Harper Flat. It looks like the kids are enjoying it and learning about Native American life in that area.

The vehicle used on this trip is a 4wd Toyota 4Runner, which has the same frame as the Toyota Tacoma. The 4Runner there has more aggressive, non-stock tires, and has at least a brush guard-Roo bar on the front.

Again, very interesting and attractive trip, in cooler weather.

Pinyon Wash Overnight - Completed Trips - Anza Borrego Desert

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

How sad. Thoughts for her family.

 

[10ofRods]

Here are also nice photos of a 4 person family camping trip "up" Pinyon Wash (in elevation, actually going south) with hiking into the north side of Harper Flat. Nice photos of residual Native American camp, grinding stone traces, pottery, and some nice shots of Harper Flat. It looks like the kids are enjoying it and learning about Native American life in that area.

The vehicle used on this trip is a 4wd Toyota 4Runner, which has the same frame as the Toyota Tacoma. The 4Runner there has more aggressive, non-stock tires, and has at least a brush guard-Roo bar on the front.

Again, very interesting and attractive trip, in cooler weather.

Pinyon Wash Overnight - Completed Trips - Anza Borrego Desert

I don't think the frame on the standard 4runner is the same as the one on the extended cab Tacoma. In fact, as a member of a couple of off-roading forums, I'm pretty sure they're not. Long Tacoma has a different chassis. And that's a problem. The strain on the middle part of the axle is greater.

My 4Runner came standard with a different type of tire, as well. Of course, it depends a bit on model year. The clearance rate is different for different model years - the older 4Runners (like the one in the photos you posted and like mine) have a bit more clearance and different shocks. My latest 4Runner is 22 inches *shorter* than his Tacoma. I don't know whether the Tacoma package he had (TRL?) had crawl control, either. My oldest 4Runner is 25 inches shorter than his Tacoma - so less stress on the drive train and axles.

He definitely needed different tires and we decided against spending the money for rugged tires (because the off roading we do is not down gullies with lots of rocks that roll and fall as you move through the space). BTW, we used to have a Tacoma (single cab) as well, and it fishtailed all over the place on rough roads, wet roads, etc. The 4Runner is much more stable and has a different kind of suspension .

What is needed to stop the fishtailing (and possible roll over) is something heavy - oh, like 100 gallons of water in two 50 gallon containers near the end of the bed. That keeps more weight over the back axle and keeps it from fishtailing (as much). Let's just say we found this out the hard way. And I've been in two accidents where someone in a light truck (a Tacoma in one case) spun out on the freeway (drifted) and hit me. 4Runner is just more nimble, IMO - and that's why those people had such a better time (PLUS they went in JANUARY).

Do we know if JRF's Tacoma was 4 or 6 cylinder? I wouldn't go offroading with a 4 cylinder, myself - and the gear ratios on my 2009 4Runner (we have three of them) is way better for steep (whether offroading or not). All 4Runners are higher horsepower, I believe. My oldest 4Runner is 1996 - and people stop by and make offers on it about once a month, as it is still a much sought after and capable off roading vehicle. In fact, if I were actually going to try Harper Canyon or Pinyon Wash, that would be my car of choice - higher clearance than our other 4Runners and with more stabilized undercarriage. The Sequoia Toyotas, btw, are on a completely different chassis and not meant for hard use at all (that 2020 Tacoma is, imo, more a suburban vehicle, great on muddy roads or for muddin' but I wouldn't try going over a combo of slippery gravels and larger rocks with it).

At any rate, if a person wants to do drifting in the desert, choose the longer, lower HP Tacoma. But if you want to drive over rocks and have your whole truck at an angle (where two tires on one side are above the other two tires - even briefly), choose a 4Runner. IMO. 4Runner is heavier, which is also another factor in keeping the truck from fishtailing, shimmying and rolling over. Neither vehicle could be considered the safest on the road, though.

 

[sfinkz]

Not sure if connected to getting the truck out or anything, but AB State Park today posted on Facebook that Pinyon and Nolina Wash will be closed November 2, 2023 through November 6, 2023 for maintenance. These washes are in the area nearby to Harper Flat.

https://www.facebook.com/AnzaBorrego/posts/351335634074371

My hat is off to you @Ou41aw for your work on this case, joining WS for, and being local to. Your verifying JRF’s military records, tracking the Tacoma on I-10 and this latest announcement, the likely mop-up of the scene, is exemplary.
Likewise, all those pressuring LE to not slowfoot the search are to be commended. It worked. It is a hardy group of trained/committed/experienced/equipped SAR volunteers, an army of -200 in SD county (encompassing nearly every ecosystem) recovering the remains (found in a state park, the largest, naturally, of 200-some properties) to their counterpart in SB county (the largest in USA), where the case originated.
As I understand it, these volunteer groups are coordinated through a liaison with the California Office of Emergency Services. The resources are stretched thin, particularly in summer months.
IMO, it became apparent that if more resources were not dedicated to this search effort there was soon gonna be a coupla bus loads of old folks from the city wandering around the desert—if only they knew where to look—or half a dozen off-roading clubs searching for the Tacoma as treasure, neither a good look.
It would be interesting to see the dates, areas, means (air?) associated with the search effort. Are those available?

 

[tvscum]

Well, that is certainly curious, given current events and remains located. I would surmise this means :

1. Removing a vehicle ( by helicopter?)
2. Searching for more evidence, clothing, materials that might have been in their vehicle on on their persons.

That area would still be higher in elevation than Highway 78, and in the event of significant flash flooding, materials would be expected to flow northward, towards Highway 78, rather than southward into the area of Harper Flat.

However, I would not call those areas "south of Harper Flat". I agree that driving in Fish Creek Trails seems a highly likely scenic route to have been taken, and that would have normally ended up along Hapaha Flat, just south of Harper Flat.

I found this photo travelogue of a trip along that route into the "ancient Indian village sites" in the area. It describes the drive in along Fish Creek, Sandstone Canyon, and then Hapaha Flat. The route looks well marked with signs. I think there is also a "squeeze" area on Sandstone Canyon, so the turn north leading to Hapaha Flat makes sense. The road to Dave McCain Spring looks quite flat and without bad rocks. This was in 2012, so it doesn't look like the guzzler at Dave McCain Spring had been installed yet. There is only a badly damaged metal tank.

Very interesting. The route looks quite reasonable for a 4WD ( amazed he took a 2WD pickup w a camper and his kids ). I don't really see any rock-hopping requirement in the drive in broad daylight, no obvious reason for a vehicle to get damaged.

All, in all, this seems like a nice trip, in cooler weather.

Hapaha Flat, Dave Mcain Spring, Split Rock - Completed Trips - Anza Borrego Desert

"Decided to head out to Hapaha Flat and check out some of the ancient Indian villiage sites. Unfortunatly my rig won't make it through the "squeeze" so I headed up through fish creek, passed sandstone canyon and beyond. It ended up being about 20 miles one way and definite 4wd road. It was my first time getting stuck in 4wd! The soft sand and fully inflated tires proved to be too much. I aired down to 60psi in the rear and 50 psi in the front.
Fish creek...had it in 2wd all the way to sandstone canyon"

Hapaha Flat, Dave Mcain Spring, Split Rock - Completed Trips - Anza Borrego Desert

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

With the time of year and the heat when JF and JRF went missing, presumably the sand would have been as dry as it could possibly be. Driving on soft, dry, slippery sand doesn't sound like it would be particularly easy even with the correct equipment and a lot of experience.

 

[starlightstarbright]

I just can’t help but wonder, if this was simply a dumb accident (I’m not convinced it is), why here?

Looking at the photos, it’s not a particularly remarkable desert scape. There’s nothing of huge archeological or historical significance there, unless JRF or JF had a really niche interest. It’s not easy to access. It’s not close to home. It’s just not an area I can see being drawn to over all the other areas one could be drawn to in the desert. It’s just a funny place to end up.

Thinking of all of Fang’s friends and family while they are waiting for more certainty, especially her young daughter. My daughter is also 10, so it hits home thinking about her worrying about her mom. I hope she is surrounded by people who are loving her and walking her through this really horrible time.

 

[tvscum]

Not sure if connected to getting the truck out or anything, but AB State Park today posted on Facebook that Pinyon and Nolina Wash will be closed November 2, 2023 through November 6, 2023 for maintenance. These washes are in the area nearby to Harper Flat.

https://www.facebook.com/AnzaBorrego/posts/351335634074371

This closure could very well be related to the truck extraction, though I am no expert. They are going to need a staging area to drop the truck and load it onto a flatbed tow truck, so maybe Pinyon Wash at Highway 78 will be that staging area? While dropping the truck the chopper will kick up sand and debris. A team of maybe three people will have to get to the truck beforehand (by hiking from Pinyon Wash or by driving 20 miles up Fish Creek in a 4x4 vehicle) to install straps around the Tacoma so it can be lifted. There is no cell phone service in the area, so radios will have to be used. A heavy-lift helicopter is going to have to be flown to the desert, which may have to land and refuel at one of the airports in Borrego Valley. It will have to be fitted with a tether to lift the truck. It's even possible, I suppose, that the helicopter may have to land at the staging area. JMOO. Anyone have any knowledge of these types of operations?

Aerial Crane: Heavy lifting by Helicopter by Corporate Helicopters

Corporate Helicopters provides helicopters used as aerial cranes : lifting for utility, construction and rescue projects.

www.corporatehelicopters.com

 

[iamshadow21]

This closure could very well be related to the truck extraction, though I am no expert. They are going to need a staging area to drop the truck and load it onto a flatbed tow truck, so maybe Pinyon Wash at Highway 78 will be that staging area? While dropping the truck the chopper will kick up sand and debris. A team of maybe three people will have to get to the truck beforehand (by hiking from Pinyon Wash or by driving 20 miles up Fish Creek in a 4x4 vehicle) to install straps around the Tacoma so it can be lifted. There is no cell phone service in the area, so radios will have to be used. A heavy-lift helicopter is going to have to be flown to the desert, which may have to land and refuel at one of the airports in Borrego Valley. It will have to be fitted with a tether to lift the truck. It's even possible, I suppose, that the helicopter may have to land at the staging area. JMOO. Anyone have any knowledge of these types of operations?

All that, and the weather has to be perfect - you probably couldn't do it safely in any kind of wind. (I am not any kind of expert, though.)

MOO

 

[charminglane]

National Weather Service

forecast.weather.gov

Good weather right now.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

This closure could very well be related to the truck extraction, though I am no expert. They are going to need a staging area to drop the truck and load it onto a flatbed tow truck, so maybe Pinyon Wash at Highway 78 will be that staging area? While dropping the truck the chopper will kick up sand and debris. A team of maybe three people will have to get to the truck beforehand (by hiking from Pinyon Wash or by driving 20 miles up Fish Creek in a 4x4 vehicle) to install straps around the Tacoma so it can be lifted. There is no cell phone service in the area, so radios will have to be used. A heavy-lift helicopter is going to have to be flown to the desert, which may have to land and refuel at one of the airports in Borrego Valley. It will have to be fitted with a tether to lift the truck. It's even possible, I suppose, that the helicopter may have to land at the staging area. JMOO. Anyone have any knowledge of these types of operations?

Aerial Crane: Heavy lifting by Helicopter by Corporate Helicopters

Corporate Helicopters provides helicopters used as aerial cranes : lifting for utility, construction and rescue projects.

www.corporatehelicopters.com

If the closure is related to the truck, I'd have thought the area around the truck would be closed. And that goes back to the question of exactly where the truck is.

A recent article suggested the truck is south of Harper Flat, but the closure notice only mentions Pinyon Wash and other washes leading from Pinyon Wash back to route 78. It's one very specific route north of Harper Flat. If it is related to this case, to me it suggests the truck probably did come up through Pinyon Wash after all.

I do wonder how much LE have already taken from the truck. I'd hope a forensic team has examined the truck and that the onboard computer data has been downloaded, but who knows.

 

[Sundog]

Here are also nice photos of a 4 person family camping trip "up" Pinyon Wash (in elevation, actually going south) with hiking into the north side of Harper Flat. Nice photos of residual Native American camp, grinding stone traces, pottery, and some nice shots of Harper Flat. It looks like the kids are enjoying it and learning about Native American life in that area.

The vehicle used on this trip is a 4wd Toyota 4Runner, which has the same frame as the Toyota Tacoma. The 4Runner there has more aggressive, non-stock tires, and has at least a brush guard-Roo bar on the front.

Again, very interesting and attractive trip, in cooler weather.

Pinyon Wash Overnight - Completed Trips - Anza Borrego Desert

After seeing these photos, I have a new understanding of how this trip might have had special interest for JRF and FJ, but they definitely needed the right vehicle, equipment and provisions -- and cooler weather. Did JRF take a risk that he could make this trip safely and miscalculate on so many levels (heat, water, vehicle capability, etc.)?

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I wonder if the reason for making such a trip in adverse conditions (high temperature) might have been as simple as if we don't do it now, we may not get the chance to do it. JF was only going to be in the country for a few weeks so it's possible they were just trying to fit as much in as possible.

 

[patternsfinder]

Just a reiteration of the CBS investigation findings, but useful to see more coverage is happening to keep attention on this case.

Report: Human remains found in Anza-Borrego desert, family of missing Chinese tourist notified - KESQ

Human remains, believed to be those of missing Chinese tourist Fang Jin, were found in the Anza-Borrego Desert,

kesq.com

 

[Sundog]

I wonder if the reason for making such a trip in adverse conditions (high temperature) might have been as simple as if we don't do it now, we may not get the chance to do it. JF was only going to be in the country for a few weeks so it's possible they were just trying to fit as much in as possible.

I think Fang Jin was going to be visiting for a few months, and was planning to return to the PRC in October.

 

[Megnut]

I wonder if the reason for making such a trip in adverse conditions (high temperature) might have been as simple as if we don't do it now, we may not get the chance to do it. JF was only going to be in the country for a few weeks so it's possible they were just trying to fit as much in as possible.

Plus, if they went at nighttime, it would seem to counter the risks. Avoiding the high heat of day, for sure. But it could increase the risk of an accident, especially with any kind of off-roading and/or unforgiving terrain.

And just like seasoned hikers who plan for a short hike, early in the morning, can fast run into trouble with even the slightest delay, anything that slowed their progress would pit them against rising heat, with zero protection and few provisions.

JMO

 

[10ofRods]

I just can’t help but wonder, if this was simply a dumb accident (I’m not convinced it is), why here?

Looking at the photos, it’s not a particularly remarkable desert scape. There’s nothing of huge archeological or historical significance there, unless JRF or JF had a really niche interest. It’s not easy to access. It’s not close to home. It’s just not an area I can see being drawn to over all the other areas one could be drawn to in the desert. It’s just a funny place to end up.

Thinking of all of Fang’s friends and family while they are waiting for more certainty, especially her young daughter. My daughter is also 10, so it hits home thinking about her worrying about her mom. I hope she is surrounded by people who are loving her and walking her through this really horrible time.

To me, the only reason for them to go down Harper Canyon in their truck was for the sheer adventure of offroading. I keep thinking about how much I wanted to do that kind of thing (20 years ago) and how I quickly learned the modifications I'd want to make to my SUV, because my husband and self are Safety First kind of people. It was enough for us to do forest roads high in the mountains, lots of rutted, rocky, steep roads - but not anything with sand combined with lots of different sized rocks. It *would* be fun, I see why people do it.

I too have a hard time with them going from simple day trips near Morongo Valley to this particular place. Especially since it seems they didn't want to hike up to the petroglyphs or visit the part of Anza-Borrego that has less challenging offroading.

If it happened on July 24, where did they stay the night before? Where is their camping stuff? Did they actually go up there on, say, July 22 and establish a camp somewhere? After the wrecked truck was found in (apparently) mid-September, there were definitely posts here and there on various FB pages for Anza-Borrego enthusiasts, and the fire photographer alerted LE that the skull was up there too, around that time. So LE have looked around up there quite a bit, I'm sure.

Was JRF injured in an accident first? I sure hope the bones tell some kind of story. Since reports say that Jin Fang had belongings nearby, is it possible that she did carry whatever water they had? I hope a journalist tries to get this story, as it is dramatic and Fang may emerge as the hero of it.

I agree with others who say that JRF would not have wanted to mess up his new-to-him truck, so it's so strange to me if in fact the truck was found in Harper Canyon. I wish we knew if they had a good paper map of Anza Borrego. It's possible that JRF found Harper Flat fenced off and decided to take an unusual route back down to the highway (for fun).

It's also possible that he wrecked his truck through carelessness and speed (looking at his driving record, it seems he didn't learn much from speeding tickets). IOW, I have no idea about how careful or careless he was as a driver. Jin Fang would have been in no real position to tell him what to do nor could she have known the dangers of offroading. I just remembered that one thing a person needs to do at that time of year, even on the relatively non-challenging back roads of Death Valley, is deflate their tires quite a bit if they're going to be on a bumpy surface. Then, some people think that if you "go fast" over a particularly bumpy or rutted road, that's the way to do it (and I've watched on two occasions where this method ended up in a blown tire).

If the truck were disabled, they were really in trouble. Hikers on AllTrails say that one starts to get some cell service when halfway down Pinyon Wash (so I imagine it would be the same for Harper Canyon), but what if the one phone they had was damaged or lost in a wreck? Did the rains later damage the truck even more?

So many questions.

 

[Herat]

Considering the off-roading obstacles that are well-known in the area, especially Pinyon Mountain Road, I would think that tows or auto removals would not be all that unusual. In Fish Creek Wash, the road bed appears to be substantially packed sand or loose sand, interspersed with some rocks.

Interestingly, Sandstone Canyon off of Fish Creek Wash has several narrow areas and the upper reaches appear to have been closed.

This video is interesting, of a 3 car group visiting the area: A Toyota Tacoma, A Lexus ( essentially an upscale Land Cruiser) , and a Ram 150 pickup truck. It shows that in Sandstone Canyon, the Toyota and Lexus appear to have no problems but the Ram 150 pickup needs a spotter and some assistance in squeezing through. I wonder if JRF's vehicle ended up on the other side of the narrow region when it was damaged. There is no way a tow truck would be able to get through that narrow area, and it appears that section of the road is getting more twisty and rocky. And who knows what other problems would have occurred during the flooding.

 

[10ofRods]

This closure could very well be related to the truck extraction, though I am no expert. They are going to need a staging area to drop the truck and load it onto a flatbed tow truck, so maybe Pinyon Wash at Highway 78 will be that staging area? While dropping the truck the chopper will kick up sand and debris. A team of maybe three people will have to get to the truck beforehand (by hiking from Pinyon Wash or by driving 20 miles up Fish Creek in a 4x4 vehicle) to install straps around the Tacoma so it can be lifted. There is no cell phone service in the area, so radios will have to be used. A heavy-lift helicopter is going to have to be flown to the desert, which may have to land and refuel at one of the airports in Borrego Valley. It will have to be fitted with a tether to lift the truck. It's even possible, I suppose, that the helicopter may have to land at the staging area. JMOO. Anyone have any knowledge of these types of operations?

Aerial Crane: Heavy lifting by Helicopter by Corporate Helicopters

Corporate Helicopters provides helicopters used as aerial cranes : lifting for utility, construction and rescue projects.

www.corporatehelicopters.com

Such an excellent post, very helpful. There's no reason in a case like this one that the helicopter couldn't land at Harper Flat - unless Harper Flat is being protected for cultural reasons (petroglyphs, etc). But even so, the park can arrange it so that the helicopter sets down properly without harming anything.

I think the rangers there have satellite phones as well as radios. It does have to be a big helicopter though (I've read about their use in extracting flood-borne vehicles from Yosemite). Indeed, I do believe the Yosemite removals used military helicopters.

Your post is so detailed, it boggles my mind to think of the logistics of this particular truck retrieval.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

IMO a military heavy-lift helicopter would be capable of carrying the truck right to the edge of route 78, or even to the nearest town. There may not be a need for a staging area in the mountains at all, other than the need to get the truck prepared for the lift.