Colin Atagi

Palm Springs Desert Sun

Since his disappearance in July, Joseph Orbeso’s parents have celebrated his 22nd birthday – always maintaining hope that their son and his girlfriend, Rachel Nguyen of Orange County, would be found alive.

On Sunday, Orbeso’s father, Gilbert, was nearby when search crews discovered the bodies of Joseph and Rachel, locked in an embrace, in a rugged canyon in Joshua Tree, where they had gone on a summer hiking trip three months ago.

“It is a whole different process now that we know the end result … and know for sure he is no longer with us,” Gilbert Orbeso told The Desert Sun. “Not knowing is one thing and it can drive you stir crazy. Knowing is a different kind of emotion of real loss.”

The bodies were found Sunday within the vicinity of Joshua Tree’s Maze Loop Trail. Its trailhead is about 1.5 miles south of the park’s west entrance and the trail extends east into the desert.

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The path is a regularly hiked trail and there are often people there, said Jennie Kish Albrinck, a park spokeswoman.

Search crews found the bodies off the trail in a remote canyon that’s inaccessible by car.

They were found hugging each other and may have used dried shrub or brush as shelter from the sun, officials said.

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Although family members have no doubt of the identities of the bodies, the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department must now undertake the grim task of officially identifying the pair.

The badly decomposed bodies were removed Monday afternoon and are now at the coroner's facility in San Bernardino, said department spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman. An autopsy will be necessary, although there’s no estimation on when it will be completed.

“Dental records may be the quickest form of identification at this point,” Bachman said Tuesday morning, adding DNA also will be an important resource.

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The two hikers who were last seen July 27 and the subject of an extensive search effort through the national park.

The search began after the owner of their Airbnb called police when they missed checkout time but left their belongings in their room.

Family members offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the couple's return, but significant tips never came in.

Desert Sun staff writer Sherry Barkas contributed to this report.

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