Politics & Government
Body Found In Joshua Tree ID'd As Missing North County Man
The 20-year-old was hiking in the area and was reported missing May 16, officials said.
OCEANSIDE, CA — A body found this week in Joshua Tree National Park was that of a 20-year-old Oceanside resident who disappeared during an outing in the arid nature preserve two weekends ago, authorities reported Thursday.
Search-and-rescue personnel looking for Joseph Alvarez Espinoza in rugged desert terrain southeast of Twentynine Palms Highway in Wonder Valley discovered his remains shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Espinoza had been missing since May 16, when his grandmother dropped him off for a hike in the national park, the agency reported.
Find out what's happening in Encinitasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A ruling on the cause of his death was on hold pending postmortem examinations.
--City News Service