Search for LA couple leads to grim discovery at Hwy. 1 crash

A body found near a wrecked car at the bottom of a steep hillside in San Luis Obispo County was identified as a missing Los Angeles woman, while her boyfriend remained unaccounted for, authorities said Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol received a report of a mangled car below Highway 1 at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Officer Patrick Seebart, a CHP spokesman.

A CHP helicopter hovering overhead spotted the car on rocks 325 feet below the highway, resting near the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean, just south of Ragged Point and 10 miles north of Hearst Castle.

Olivia Hannah Gonzalez, 20, and Brian Fernandez, 21, were last seen Dec. 23 after leaving for Big Sur, police said. Olivia Hannah Gonzalez, 20, and Brian Fernandez, 21, were last seen Dec. 23 after leaving for Big Sur, police said. Photo: LAPD / / LAPD Photo: LAPD / / LAPD Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Search for LA couple leads to grim discovery at Hwy. 1 crash 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The bodies of 20-year-old North Hollywood resident Olivia Hannah Gonzalez and a dog were found about 15 feet from the car, Seebart said.

Gonzalez and her 21-year-old boyfriend, Brian Fernandez, were last seen Dec. 23 when they left for Big Sur, 300 miles north of Los Angeles, police said.

“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Olivia,” Seebart said in a statement.

There was no information on the presence of a second body.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department dispatched search and rescue teams to the hillside, and dive teams to the ocean to continue search efforts, Seebart said.

The car probably will not be recovered until Thursday or Friday due to inclement weather.

“It’s extremely wet and rainy and stormy,” Seebart said Wednesday. “We didn’t recover the vehicle last night because of the conditions. The conditions are worse today.”

CHP investigators will handle the crash investigation while the sheriff’s department will continue the search-and-recovery operations.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s missing persons unit had released a photo of Gonzalez and Fernandez on Friday. Officials said family members had expected them back home Christmas Day.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno