The body of missing California woman Jolissa Fuentes has been found after a two-month-long search, officials announced on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old’s body was found at a crash scene on the foot of a 400-foot cliff in a rural area of Fresno County north of Pine Flat Lake after police found evidence that Fuentes’ automotive had run off a road, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said at a press conference.
Fuentes’ family reported her missing on Aug. 7 after she went home from a family gathering before dawn to gather some belongings. She was last seen leaving a convenience store while driving a 2011 silver Hyundai Accent, which was found on the scene, police said.
While the reason behind the crash has yet to be determined, police said they consider Fuentes was almost definitely drained after being up throughout the night.
Police had previously searched the realm where Fuentes was found. Nevertheless, a dense brush hindered their efforts. Search and rescue teams needed to rappel down over 400 feet to recuperate Fuentes’ body Monday night, officials said.
Fuentes’ parents, Norma Nunez and Joey Fuentes, fought back tears as they stood beside law enforcement at Tuesday’s press conference, thanking local law enforcement and the general public for his or her support and helping locate their daughter.
“I need to thank the community, not only the community, this whole nation. The cries and the pain of my wife and my sisters and my family was heard around this whole country,” Joey said through sobs.
Law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of members of the family, had scoured an area west of Selma in Fresno County of their desperate search, which including with using drones.
Officers flew helicopters and spent hours in off-road vehicles driving across the Pine Flat area before Fuentes was finally found.
Independent divers, Adventures with Purpose, even joined the search. The identical group helped find the body of 16-year-old Kiely Rodni in a Northern California reservoir earlier this month.