Two months following the disappearance of a 30-year-old woman, a body was discovered by Southern California searchers in the Yucca Valley desert.
The body was retrieved in rocky terrain in the open desert on Saturday, as announced by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday. Currently, the coroner’s office is in the process of identifying the remains as well as the cause of death.
“The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department conducted an additional search and rescue operation in the ongoing search for Lauren Cho,” it said in a statement, as reported by NBC News. “During the search, unidentified human remains were located in the rugged terrain of the open desert of Yucca Valley.”
The search for Lauren Cho, who left from a rental house last June 28, deployed air and foot operations conducted by the sheriff’s office, SFGATE reported.
The Korean American’s disappearance earned traction in August following the missing Gabby Petito’s case. Criticisms were aired online as to how the 22-year-old white woman, Petito, was given attention not similar to what missing people of color get. Media coverage about Petito increased along with the complaints regarding the so-called “missing white woman syndrome.” The white girl went missing after she went on a trip with her boyfriend. She even documented their travels on social media. Petito’s remains were later retrieved in Wyoming.
Meanwhile, it will take many weeks for the body of the woman to be identified, the sheriff’s office said. Until the results are out, no additional details will be provided by the office.
Cho’s family has been updating about the case on a Facebook Page. The Associated Press tried to reach out to them on Monday but they had no immediate response.
In a report by NBC News, Cho’s family took to Facebook her personality. “El is many things … a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for. But this is where El really shines: as an aunt. The love she has for her sibling is unmatched. Even among family, the consensus is that her sibling is the person El loves most in this world.”
