Search resumes for couple who disappeared at national park

ByJULIA JACOBO ABCNews logo
Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Rescue teams in Southern California have resumed their search for a young couple who went missing last week at Joshua Tree National Park, according the National Park Service.

The couple, who were in their 20s, failed to check out of their nearby bed and breakfast Friday morning, Brian Rennie, a team member for the Joshua Tree National Park Search and Rescue, told ABC News.

Authorities believe the couple vanished on Thursday night, he added. Their car was found in a dirt parking lot for the Maze Loop trail, and their tracks leading from the car indicate they were heading toward the North Canyon, Rennie said.

The massive search -- which includes members from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol, as well as volunteers -- was suspended overnight due to weather and safety concerns, according to Joshua Tree National Park public information officer George Land.

Search and rescue teams resumed efforts Tuesday around 5 a.m. local time but on a smaller scale, Land said.

The couple has been identified as Joseph Orbeso and Rachel Nguyen, ABC Los Angeles station KABC reported. They are from the Southern California area, Bennie said.

There has been no sign of the couple since Thursday, when Orbeso's cellphone was detected from a location inside the park around 4 p.m., the National Park Service said Saturday in a press release.

Further details were not immediately available.

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