Young Hikers Missing in Joshua Tree Since Thursday [7/27/17]

[Ed]

The jurors didn't buy the 'mercy killing' theory in the case cited, and I don't here either. If I had a gun, I would have waited until I knew there was time for an SAR operation to begin, then fired it at regular intervals to draw the attention of the searchers. And I still find it very difficult to explain why two people were both immobilized or dead during the first day or two of the SAR operation, unless it was a murder-suicide.

[cynthia23]

Well, I'm probably grasping at straws here. Myth, thank you for posting that fascinating and very odd story. I think I agree with Ed, though--I don't buy it.
In this case, what is most probable--a spurned boyfriend in a murder-suicide scenario--is really the most likely answer. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, these type of homicides are depressingly common. And the facts that we know about them do support this scenario. I do still wonder, though, if they were hiking all day before the murder--i.e. the 2 and 4pm pings. If so, they were surely in heat distress or worse by that point.

[Sean]

"Final location" of those poor kids: 34.1017, -116.2211

That's only 0.34 miles due east of the two sets of tracks found at N34.1013, W116.2271. It indicates that they might have been lost, having missed a turn in the trail, and they might have climbed up and over a ridge to get to a small knob between the tracks and their final resting place. If murder-suicide was the intention, then I guess it didn't matter which route they took. But if they were trying desperately to get a cell signal, maybe they would expend the energy to scramble up to a highpoint before exhausting themselves. And if they were on drugs, who knows what was going through their minds.

[Myth]

http://abc7.com/gunshot-wounds-found-on ... e/2553182/

According to that, they were found "under a tree" which I would guess is a shrubby juniper or a creosote bush, and with clothing positioned to protect their legs from the sun.

The more benign option sounds plausible, to me.

I've gotten dehydrated and exhausted due to a long hike in overly warm temperatures before - in JTNP no less. I had a hiking partner and made it back to our vehicle and hotel ... but I was incapacitated with a migraine and nausea. Despite having access to fluid and air conditioning while recuperating. So I can see the benign option working.

I no longer attempt long hikes in heat, due to that experience.

[Wildhorse]

From reading the Sheriff's press release, my impression is that much is still unknown. I suspect that this falls under FBI jurisdiction, as it occurred on federal land.

The grief of the parents has only just begun. The grief hurts so much, it is hard to talk aboutwithout breaking down.

[Sean]

I've gotten dehydrated...I was incapacitated with a migraine and nausea.

Good point. Rapid dehydration must be awfully painful. Basically you're losing sensation throughout your body and suffering extreme mental trauma. If you understand what's happening, and have no hope of rescue, you might prefer suicide over a drawn-out death.

[Ric Capucho]

The Sheriff report has been updated:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The bodies of Rachel Nguyen and Joseph Orbeso were found under a tree. They had positioned their clothing to cover their lower extremities and protect them from the sun. It appears they had been rationing their food and had no water.
The gun found near the bodies was registered to Joseph Orbeso

http://cms.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/MediaCenter/SheriffPressReleases/PressReleasesfor2017/October/JoshuaTree-MissingHikersLocated.aspx

[cynthia23]

Good point about the tracks, Sean. I just had on the local news and, perhaps understandably, the father is insisting it was a 'mercy killing', done as an act of desperation. He is saying that Orbeso brought the gun along as protection because Nguyen was being stalked by a creepy guy she'd known.

Below is purely my speculation. Googling Orbeso and Nguyen does not bring up this site, and I think it is incredibly unlikely their relatives would read this post. And at this point, I just can't see that my obscure speculations can cause any more pain on what is likely to be extensive news coverage of an extremely bizarre case.

Given the position of the bodies (under a bush, trying to cover their lower half with clothes), the tracks, and the pings, I don't think the facts support a planned murder-suicide. I do think there is something between a cold-blooded planned murder, and semi-consciously setting up a situation that was virtually certain to end in disaster, and to which, by the way, you find a barely plausible reason to bring a gun. Judging purely by their Twitter feeds she seems to have been a pretty, vivacious, popular girl and he appears to have been introverted, bright yet drifting, and involved too much in gaming and drugs. He likely was angry that she broke up with him, but maybe didn't even acknowledge that to himself. We've all known passive-aggressive people who find odd ways to get even without ever being aware of their anger themselves, setting up situations that end in disaster for themselves and others. This--i.e. taking your ex-girlfriend on a desert hike in July to a place called The Maze, while bringing along four types of hallucinogens and a gun-- could be an extreme example. For me, at least, it's impossible to believe it all just happened purely 'by accident' and that Orbeso bears no responsibility. But the only thing we know, more or less clearly, is that the situation ended with Orbeso putting a gun to her head and pulling the trigger.

Utterly bizarre.

[Sean]

I do think there is something between a cold-blooded planned murder, and semi-consciously setting up a situation that was virtually certain to end in disaster, and to which, by the way, you find a barely plausible reason to bring a gun.

There is involuntary manslaughter. Basically you cause someone's death through your own recklessness. But it might be difficult to prove in this case, if the primary factor was them losing the trail and not knowing how to rescue themselves, which is basically ignorance.

[Ed]

I would like to know how many bullets there were, and how many were fired. Even under the mercy killing theory, rational people who wanted to survive would be firing the gun as a signal until there were only two bullets left.