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| The volunteer Joshua Tree Search & Rescue Team searched the rough terrain of the Joshua Tree National Park. |
It may never be known the actual circumstances that surround the deaths of Joseph Orbeso, 22, and Rachel Nguyen, 20, but based on positioning of the bodies, and evidence at the scene where their bodies were found, authorities have speculated what might have happened.
The Orange County couple's bodies were found in the shade of a tree, said the Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman.
“It appeared they were rationing food,” she said, but there was no water nearby.
“There is no indication that he wanted to harm her; that there was any plan for something like this,” Bachman said.
Investigators believe he shot her, and then shot himself.
A gun registered to Orbeso, who worked as a security guard, was found nearby. When they were found Oct. 15, it appeared that the bodies were in an embrace.
“It was explained to us by the investigators on scene, with the circumstances and positioning of the bodies, that they believe this was a sympathetic murder-suicide.," said Nguyen's uncle. "We hold no grudges against Joseph or the Orbeso family.”
“Rachel possibly injured herself sliding down a cliff and Joseph went after her and took care of her,” Nguyen said.
Her T-shirt was wrapped around her head like a bandage. Her injury, the heat (the temperatures were in the triple digits the days after they were reported missing), the lack of water led them to a point where they wanted to ease their pain, the uncle speculated.
“Rachel possibly injured herself sliding down a cliff and Joseph went after her and took care of her,” Nguyen said.
Her T-shirt was wrapped around her head like a bandage. Her injury, the heat (the temperatures were in the triple digits the days after they were reported missing), the lack of water led them to a point where they wanted to ease their pain, the uncle speculated.
"This is an accident," said Nguyen's aunt, Mong Ha Le. "She had a head injury and he tried to save her the only way he could."
The couple had been missing since July 28 sparking a massive search in Joshua Tree National Park for several weeks. In the following weeks, the search continued on the weekends.
Their bodies were found Oct. 15. Orbeso's father, who never stopped searching, was part of the team that found the couple.
The Joshua Tree Search and Rescue team said on its Facebook page that it's easy to get lost in the vast park covering more than 1,200 square miles of the Mojave and Colorado deserts, 130 miles (209 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
"You can take a short hike and lose sight of the road, and, if you didn't pay attention to what the landmarks look like, in the opposite direction, you could start wandering," the team said.
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