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

[sasha17]

I think that's another photo taken by Jin, since it's published in the Chinese media.

LE would not release any footage they had, unless it was intended to

I believe it’s a picture that Fang took of him and sent to her family during the first few days of her trip.

It would certainly make more sense if Fang took that photo. My understanding was it was from the surveillance camera since on the Chinese news article linked above (中国女子跨洋见网友离奇失踪，警方：同游白男有前科！ | Redian新闻), the photo was accompanied by text right above it that Google Translate says is: "After the police intervened in the investigation, a surveillance camera captured the man's truck in the Thermal area on July 22. It was a blue Toyota Tacoma light truck with the license plate #24478S1." That is why I thought the photo was from the surveillance camera described. However, it's very possible there's a translation issue here and Fang actually took it.

 

[starlightstarbright]

I think they are simply saying that the car in the photo is the same as the one captured on surveillance images on 22nd of July. That’s how I would read that anyway.

 

[JennieM]

Chinese woman missing after US trip to meet net friend; embassy seeks police help​

A Chinese woman who traveled to Southern California to meet a friend she met online has gone missing, and the local police have initiated a search for her, said the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles on Saturday.

[...]

The family has also initiated a fundraising effort on multiple websites to raise US$10,000 as a reward for informants who provide tips about Jin.

City News Service | Shanghai and China City News Service and Life Guide

City News Service is a reliable platform for expatriates seeking official information and city services in Shanghai and China. It is a convenient hub for accessing latest & breaking news and local service information, such as health, wellness, housing and education, in one place.

www.shine.cn

 

[Ravenmoon]

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

 

[JennieM]

There is hardly any interest in her missing donations page in terms of donations. Interesting Update 8/10/23. The family suspect crime.

 

[crussell821]

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

Not related, but growing up in San Diego our day trip spot was Julian. I have such fond memories of that sweet little town.

 

[Ravenmoon]

Not related, but growing up in San Diego our day trip spot was Julian. I have such fond memories of that sweet little town.

Me too. I loved Apple Season and the old fashioned candy shop.

I could see why that would be a nice little place for Fang to see and experience. A little bit of the " Off the beaten path" destination that has some beautiful scenery.

 

[sasha17]

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

As a Chinese citizen, she would have had to apply for and receive a tourist visa to visit Mexico, just like she had prior to coming to the United States. If she was planning to go to Mexico as part of her trip, I'd imagine there would be a record of her visa application. Since the embassy is involved, I'm sure they'd be able to check on that.

 

[thefragile7393]

This does not look like the same man. He could have lost a ton of weight and had plastic surgery on his face and neck.

no....it's the same guy. They look exactly alike

 

[AnyNameIWish]

It bothers me that the news reports are saying JRF was "hired" as her guide but honestly this sounds so unlikely.... there is no info about him running such a business- also, why was he discovered and announced missing a few days after she was announced? When they were clearly traveling together?

And, shout out to Mom's apple pie House in Julian, glad it's still going strong!

 

[Herat]

It bothers me that the news reports are saying JRF was "hired" as her guide but honestly this sounds so unlikely.... there is no info about him running such a business- also, why was he discovered and announced missing a few days after she was announced? When they were clearly traveling together?

And, shout out to Mom's apple pie House in Julian, glad it's still going strong!

Yes, this bothers me a lot. Was she really arriving to become a girlfriend? That makes more sense to me than all this "camping' in 120 degree weather in a barren dry desert.

 

[nlca]

As a Chinese citizen, she would have had to apply for and receive a tourist visa to visit Mexico, just like she had prior to coming to the United States. If she was planning to go to Mexico as part of her trip, I'd imagine there would be a record of her visa application. Since the embassy is involved, I'm sure they'd be able to check on that.

AFAIK, she would have no problem being admitted to Mexico with a US visa. So I'm not sure this would lead to much more information even if that's the destination.

But I suppose there could be some kind of surveillance records if they indeed went that way. How carefully is Mexico monitoring incoming border crossings these days? I haven't crossed the US-Mexico land border in over a decade, so I'm not sure what's changed.


Visa reference:
(Países y regiones que requieren visa para viajar a México | Instituto Nacional de Migracion).
"No requerirá visa mexicana el extranjero que presente alguno de los siguientes documentos:

...

b) Visa válida y vigente de Canadá, de los Estados Unidos de América, Japón, el Reino Unido de la Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte o cualquiera de los países que integran el Espacio Schengen."
(The foreigner who presents any one of the following will not require a Mexican visa:

... b) Valid and unexpired visa from Canada, the United States of America, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or any of the countries that are part of the Schengen Area.)

 

[AnyNameIWish]

Ah, that is a good point... but, MOO: this assumes JF would be up for traveling into Mexico with 1. That much cash in hand and 2. Venturing into yet another foreign country with a male they just met in person. (That would be a huge no from me.)

Thanks for clarifying that entry into Mexico would likely be a visa non-issue. I haven't done it in forever but I imagine license plates are the very least would be tracked.

 

[Dhighsmith]

It bothers me that the news reports are saying JRF was "hired" as her guide but honestly this sounds so unlikely.... there is no info about him running such a business- also, why was he discovered and announced missing a few days after she was announced? When they were clearly traveling together?

And, shout out to Mom's apple pie House in Julian, glad it's still going strong!

JMO but as with her taking the “train” (bus to Palm Springs since tracks are out), FJ hiring him as guide is not completely accurate.

 

[charminglane]

Tijuana/Rosarito is still considered iffy for traveling, or I would be there now!
Not the safest place in the last 10 years.

From L,A. Times March of this year.
"The state of Baja California is in the second most severe category — “reconsider travel” — because of crime and kidnapping, especially homicides in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. The State Department urges those who do travel to remain on main highways. The State Department also puts the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Morelos, Sonora and Guanajuato (the latter includes San Miguel de Allende) in that category."

How to safely drive to Baja: Things to know before you go

A guide to traveling responsibly in Baja California: what to bring, laws to know, what to do if you're pulled over, where to find gas stations and other key advice.

www.latimes.com

 

[slowpoke]

JMO but as with her taking the “train” (bus to Palm Springs since tracks are out), FJ hiring him as guide is not completely accurate.

I think it could have been a combination of Amtrak train AND bus. Buses called ‘Amtrak Thruway Buses’ are part of the Amtrak system. MOO

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner

Amtrak Bus Connections - Amtrak Thruway Buses

At the second link:
”Amtrak-dedicated bus routes fill gaps in the train schedule, link to other Amtrak routes, and provide the first or last connection to popular destinations such as Palm Springs and Long Beach.”

So, it looks like the train would go from Union Station in Los Angeles to Fullerton, then board the special Amtrak bus to get to the Palm Springs destination. MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

My first thought when someone said it was a CA exempt plate was someone in a diplomatic role. Is that possible? Would explain perhaps why she flew in from China and immediately met with this person. Could perhaps the connection be one from home rather than someone new she was meeting for the first time on arrival?

<modsnip - off limits unless/until LE says otherwise>

Usually, a diplomatic license plate would have CD (Corps Diplomatique) or the car would have it on the bumper. This is universal. There's also CC, to reflect a consulate; this might be typical and more common in CA, since CA has no embassies, just consulates.

Diplomatic vehicle registration plate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[10ofRods]

It's really hard not to speculate foul play at this point in time. esp. with the blue truck heading southward (although it did go to what I'd consider tourist towns). I keep hoping they are still camping out of range of cell, but it seems as if it's way too long for them to be out there, in the heat, without resurfacing. I can't imagine August camping out there.

There would be cameras at all the major border crossings. I would assume they can capture license plates and do some kind of automated search. But for that to happen, someone either in in SBCSO or in SDCSO would need to do the necessary paperwork and it wouldn't be instantaneous by any means.

It's hard for me to believe they would have crossed on foot (although checking all the US-side parking lots where people do exactly that has to be done as well). I can't imagine that SBCSO has staff to do all of this quickly. For Barbara Thomas, they did exactly one (volunteer SAR) search. She was out there. One mile from where she went missing. Only one type of dog was used. That was it. No one ever got back to me when I sent in a tip (which I did in a couple of different ways). San Bernardino County gets a lot of missing persons every year and it's a huge county, with so much difficult terrain.

IMO.

 

[10ofRods]

My first thought when someone said it was a CA exempt plate was someone in a diplomatic role. Is that possible? Would explain perhaps why she flew in from China and immediately met with this person. Could perhaps the connection be one from home rather than someone new she was meeting for the first time on arrival?

<modsnip - off limits unless/until LE says otherwise>

That's just speculation here on WS. There's absolutely no evidence that the truck had anything other than a regular CA truck license plate. The exempt plates say EXEMPT right on them (and I'd think that would have been mentioned when the plate number was mentioned).

I find it very hard to believe that JRF could get an exempt plate or that this random guy from the Palm Springs area could be any kind of diplomat.

The formula for the license plate, as it was released, is exactly the same as all the non-exempt pick-up trucks in my own neighborhood.

I do not think any diplomatic branch of the US government meets incoming people on tourist visas in Palm Springs and takes them camping.

IMO: These two people corresponded before her trip; he is not a public employee of any kind. Isn't he now missing himself? If he is, and he were any kind of govt (esp. diplomatic) employee, it would be mentioned.

IMO.

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

On all pictures of her inside the vehicle, she is always in the driver seat.
Is she driving the truck?

But in new picture of him outside the vehicle, only the driver's door is opened and he is all alone, no selfie this time ...
Are we sure that's her taking the picture? Just wondering, I'm suspicious about that picture of him.

(Edited by me)

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

“Fitzpatrick was hired to be Jin’s tour guide of the Morongo Basin area,” said Sheriff’s Department public information officer Gloria Huerta. “They were supposed to go camping, but the amount of time was not disclosed.” Fitzpatrick was reported missing by a friend from the Morongo Basin area...

www.websleuths.com