$10K Reward Offered For Missing Joshua Tree Hikers

JOSHUA TREE, CA – The families of a young man and woman from Westminster, missing since last month after embarking on a hike in Joshua Tree National Park, are offering a $10,000 reward for their safe return.

Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 21, were last heard from at 6:45 a.m. July 27. Orbeso's phone last pinged at around 4 p.m. on July 27 inside the park. Their car was found at the Maze Loop trailhead, near the northern end of the park.

Search efforts have been continuous since July 28, with rescue teams from several agencies scouring the park, utilizing helicopters and canines during their search.

The National Park Service called in a specialized overhead team of investigators from Yosemite National Park and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, plus a drone specialist from Grand Canyon National Park, to aid in the search. Family members and friends of the missing hikers also participated.

However, park representatives said the search efforts have been scaled back since the early days of the pair's disappearance, with the park's search and rescue teams moving from "an active, intensive search to what is known as a limited continuous search mode," according to a release from the park.

"It is (the families') hope that the missing party may have left on their own accord and are alive somewhere outside the park," officials said.

The pair reportedly left a bed-and-breakfast before the hike.

Anyone with information as to the pair's whereabouts was asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department dispatch center at (909) 383-5652 and ask for the detective division.

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--City News Service and Ashley Ludwig of Patch contributed to this post/Images via Joshua Tree National Forest