The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has announced that human skeletal remains were discovered off a trail at the Joshua Tree National Park. Around 12:08 p.m. on January 25, 2024, deputies from the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station responded to the park after human skeletal remains were discovered.

Federal Park Rangers were alerted to the discovery by researchers before requesting assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau. The identity of the deceased and the cause of death have not been determined at this point.