Missing Retired Long Beach Teacher Found Dead In Mojave Desert

LONG BEACH, CA — A retired Long Beach schoolteacher who disappeared during a dirt-bike ride in the Mojave Desert was found dead Thursday, authorities said.

Julie Goforth, 63, was located in a remote desert area at about 12:27 p.m. Thursday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

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Authorities did not disclose where her body was found or provide details about her death. The circumstances remain under investigation, sheriff’s officials said.

Goforth had been missing since Friday, when she went riding with a friend in the El Mirage Dry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area near Adelanto.

She had recently purchased the dirt bike and became separated from her riding partner after saying she planned to return to their vehicle, her daughter, Candice Walker, told the Los Angeles Times. When the friend later returned, Goforth was not there.

Deputies, search-and-rescue volunteers and community members spent days searching the rugged desert terrain by horseback, off-road vehicle, helicopter and drone. Search dogs and privately operated aircraft also took part in the effort, according to authorities and the Times.

The search unfolded as temperatures in the area climbed above 100 degrees, heightening concerns for Goforth’s safety.

Goforth was an experienced rider who visited the recreation area several times a year, Walker told the newspaper. She had retired within the past two years after working as a teacher, most recently at Albert Baxter Elementary School in Bellflower.

The Sheriff’s Department offered condolences to Goforth’s family and friends and thanked members of the off-highway vehicle community and others who contributed time, equipment and support during the search.