Missing Person Outside of Palm Desert
Date: June 4-5, 2026
Location: Palm Desert
Mission: 2026-19
Written by: William Pendleton
Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU) was activated to help locate the missing person in the Palm Desert area with Operational Period 1 (OP1) starting at 0500 on the fourth of June. OP1 consisted of search dog teams and tracking teams that searched the immediate area, roads, and valleys closest to the last reported location. With temperatures being well over 100F˚ on the day of the 4th, OP2 started the evening of the fourth with three tracking teams that searched the next set of valleys and roads that were left unsearched from OP1. After several hours in the field that night all initially assigned search areas were completed. OP3 started the next morning at 0500, with more than eight operational teams ranging from tracking and dog teams to a helicopter. Around 0740, the helicopter team, Star9, found the missing person 1.5 miles away from where they were last reported as being seen. Ground teams responded and found the subject deceased at the location with further confirmation by Riverside Sheriff’s Office. RMRU and the agencies involved send their deepest condolences to the missing person’s family and friends.
RMRU Members Involved: David Bever, Jonathan Butler, Alex Cochran, Matt Frenken, Glenn Henderson, Geoffrey Marshall, Shani Mccullough, William Pendleton, Richard Yocum.
Other Agencies Involved: Riverside Sheriff’s Office (RSO) Emergency Response Team (SERT), RSO Aviation, Riverside County Search Dogs, and Desert Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (DSSAR)