Missing Joshua Tree hikers' bodies discovered ‘locked in embrace’

Locked in an embrace, the bodies of a pair of hikers who went missing three months ago in California’s Joshua Tree national park are thought to have been found.

Joseph Orbeso, 21, and Rachel Nguyen, 20, had been missing since 28 July, after they failed to check out of their Airbnb.

Their car was found a week later near a popular trail in the park, called the Maze Loop. It is thought they were hiking in extreme heat.

At the time temperatures were around 38C and it was unclear if they had had water supplies with them.

The remains, which were discovered over the weekend have been sent to San Bernardino coroners’ office to be formally identified and a cause of death to be recorded.

Mr Orbeso’s father, Gilbert, was with the Joshua Tree search and rescue team when the bodies were found.

“I believed that I was going to find them,” he told KESQ. “I didn’t know when, but I had my answer today.”