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

[Herat]

Don’t quote me, but I think in California all pickup trucks are considered commercial vehicles because they are designed to transport property.

Not true. My brother owns and drives a standard Ford pickup without a canopy and it has the regular California license plate format, not a commercial vehicle one.

 

[crhedBngr]

Not true. My brother owns and drives a standard Ford pickup without a canopy and it has the regular California license plate format, not a commercial vehicle one.

@Herat : We'll have to watch for helicopters over Morongo Basin.

JMVHO.

 

[Laughing]

@cvaldez1975 , @gitana1 , calling my personal Cali e-quaintances!

 

[dulcinea]

"She met a man online, who told her he could be her tour guide."

Fang Jin - Missing Persons Center

Fang Jin, 47, and her companion, John Fitzpatrick, 52, had been missing since late July from Morongo Valley in San Bernardino County where Fitz

missingpersonscenter.org

 

[thefragile7393]

"She met a man online, who told her he could be her tour guide."

Fang Jin - Missing Persons Center

Fang Jin, 47, and her companion, John Fitzpatrick, 52, had been missing since late July from Morongo Valley in San Bernardino County where Fitz

missingpersonscenter.org

oh lawd. Nooooooooo

 

[AliceInPain]

Does anyone know her name using Chinese characters?
Maybe we can find some Chinese MSM articles that way.
(Are there even MSM in China?)
If this "tour guide"/"male subject" is the only one she knows in the US she's very vulnerable imo, hot temperatures or not.

 

[slowpoke]

Does anyone know her name using Chinese characters?
Maybe we can find some Chinese MSM articles that way.
(Are there even MSM in China?)
If this "tour guide"/"male subject" is the only one she knows in the US she's very vulnerable imo, hot temperatures or not.

失联人姓名：金芳

translates to: “Name of missing person: Jin Fang”
(found it online)

 

[slowpoke]

Just thoughts:

Her name is confusing. I think her first name is Jin and her surname (family name, last name) is Fang? I know Chinese generally order their name the reverse from what I’m used to.

Are no loved ones missing the male companion as well (since he is a missing person, too?) Is he a “lone wolf”-type that is accountable to no one? Family? Employer? Friends?

I guess Jin thought she was being cautious enough by checking in every other day with her friend or daughter, and it’s good she was doing at least that. But, really—(and I’m probably stating the obvious) seems an overly “adventurous” and trusting a trip to do with someone she didn’t know well, and the first time in person, if I am understanding the situation.

What is it—around 2 weeks now with no communication from Jin? I hope we learn more info soon.

MOO

 

[Tealgrove]

Don’t like the sound of this at all.

 

[AnyNameIWish]

@slowpoke

失联人姓名：金芳
Name of person missing: JinFang

yes.
金 last name
芳 first name

(Another, related Asian language is my primary language.)

 

[slowpoke]

@slowpoke

失联人姓名：金芳
Name of person missing: JinFang

yes.
金 last name
芳 first name

(Another, related Asian language is my primary language.)

Oh! Then I thought wrong.
So, to write her name the way we would in the US, her name IS Fang Jin (where Jin is her last name)?
As I said: her name confuses me! Sorry.

 

[AliceInPain]

The date she was last heard from is incorrect on the police poster.
It was July 21, 22:00 California time.
I haven't found any social media for her but her daughter is on weibo and she posted the missing info on the 23rd already, just two days later so I'm guessing this is very unusual to not be in contact a lot.
The male and the car is confusing to me, I'd just assumed it was his car or he'd rented it and he would be driving it since he knew the area. But then why haven't we heard about him being missing too.
Hopefully more info soon or even better she's found safe.

eta: Not sleuthing family here, just pointing out it's probably not like Fang to just take off somewhere.

 

[10ofRods]

Not true. My brother owns and drives a standard Ford pickup without a canopy and it has the regular California license plate format, not a commercial vehicle one.

Yeah, I think you have to have a special license for the commercial plate. Eligible vehicles include vans used to transport passengers, trucks used to transport anything at all, but...if you're running a business with your truck and it is a commercial plate, I think you are supposed to have a commercial DL:

Commercial Driver's License Classes & Certifications - California DMV

www.dmv.ca.gov

At any rate, they must surely know who the truck belongs to, by now (unless the person wrote out their campground reservation with a fake license plate number and there was no one around to check).

 

[vls12345]

Yeah, I have been wondering why there seem to be no missing person reports or media appeals for him.

That seems ominous, imo.

 

[JennieM]

IMO her companion is not missing, that’s why the police has not put a missing person report for him.

 

[vls12345]

If he's not missing, where is he?

 

[Dhighsmith]

Missingpersons.org

Fang Jin is a tourist from China. She met a man online, who told her he could be her tour guide. She arrived in LA on 7/14 and left for Palm Springs on 7/15 by train. She agreed to stay in touch with a friend every other day.

The man picked Jin up in Palms Springs and they went camping together in the Joshua Tree National Park. On 7/21, Fang told her friend she came back from Joshua Tree and was about to go to camping again in "a small town in the desert". There has been no contact since. Fang's daughter and the friend tried to call Fang several times but no one answered.

 

[JennieM]

Last contact was July 21.

The friend would expect to hear from Fang Jin again on July 23 (“She agreed to stay in touch with a friend every other day”).

The police report says “station responded to a report of a missing person in the area July 26”.

I wonder why there was a delay in reporting Fang Jin missing between July 23 to July 26.

 

[ConundrumPonderer]

Oh! Then I thought wrong.
So, to write her name the way we would in the US, her name IS Fang Jin (where Jin is her last name)?
As I said: her name confuses me! Sorry.

The best way I can illustrate is, the American Sheriff Missing Poster says Fang Jin, with Jin (her surname) underlined. So, in the Chinese newspaper it says Jin Fang. Both are 100% correct for each culture. I’m adding the same link to show the missing poster. If you click the poster you’ll see Jin is underlined in red.
No need to apologize for wanting to understand correctly!

Missing woman Fang Jin, 47, believed to be in the hi-desert - Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree

A missing woman is believed to be in the high desert, according to County Sheriff’s Deputies. A social media post from Deputies at the Morongo Basin

z1077fm.com

 

[ConundrumPonderer]

Last contact was July 21.

The friend would expect to hear from Fang Jin again on July 23 (“She agreed to stay in touch with a friend every other day”).

The police report says “station responded to a report of a missing person in the area July 26”.

I wonder why there was a delay in reporting Fang Jin missing between July 23 to July 26.

MOO speculation, was it because she was in the US? They (daughter and friends) may have been unsure how to report this. I’m wondering if they reported it to the police in China, who then contacted the police in California?