The body of missing Californian Jolissa Fuentes was found two months after she disappeared, officials said last night.
The 22-year-old’s body was discovered Monday in a badly damaged car at the base of a 400-foot cliff near Pine Flat Lake in Fresno County after investigators found evidence a car had left a road in the hills .
Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz was led to the crash site after suspecting that Fuentes might have fallen asleep at the wheel and managed to locate the car in a region police had already searched and made his way through heavy grass and bushes to make the discovery.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims credited “divine intervention” with helping police officers track Fuentes.
“As a woman of faith, I believe [Alcaraz] was divinely guided to this area,” Mims told reporters at a news conference yesterday.
Fuentes was last seen at the AM/PM gas station in Selma, California, about 15 miles southeast of Fresno, on August 7 when a security camera caught her exiting her silver 2011 Hyundai Accent around 4 a.m. to make a purchase to do.
Family members said she was at a family gathering into the wee hours, lending credence to Alcaraz’s theory that she may have gotten behind the wheel.
Incredible drone footage released by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office showed rescue teams had to traverse the treacherous landscape to find the badly damaged car seen in the overgrowth.
Jolissa Fuentes was last seen on August 7 at the AM/PM gas station in Selma, California, about 15 miles southeast of Fresno
The 22-year-old’s body was discovered Monday in a badly damaged car at the base of a 400-foot cliff near Pine Flat Lake in Fresno County after investigators found evidence of a car exiting a road in the hills had (picture of the police). edge of the cliff)
Police picked their way through heavy grass and bushes to make the discovery after rappelling down the cliff
Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz was led to the crash site after suspecting Fuentes may have fallen asleep at the wheel and managed to locate the car in a region police had already searched
These security footage from an AM/PM gas station are the last known sighting of Fuentes before her disappearance
Fuentes’ parents, Norma Nunez and Joey Fuentes, were in tears as they stood next to police officers at yesterday’s press conference.
They thanked officers who took part in the search for their daughter and issued a statement thanking them for the public support they had received after several members of their community joined the search effort.
“I want to thank the community, not just the community, this whole nation. The screams and pain of my wife and my sisters and my family were heard across the country,” Mr Fuentes said through tears.
A photo of Fuentes standing in front of her silver Hyundai before it mysteriously disappeared on August 7
Family members said that based on the surveillance footage, Fuentes turned in the wrong direction to get to her home when she exited the gas station parking lot on August 7.
At around 5:24 a.m. – 90 minutes after she was last seen – she called her sister twice, but the calls went unanswered.
The distraught family turned to amateur dive team Adventures with Purpose to help comb nearby lakes to find her.
The dive team has solved 23 missing persons cases and most recently discovered the body and silver SUV of missing teenager Kiely Rodni, 16.
The divers searched Avocado and Pine Flat Lake after police said their phone last pinged in that area, but couldn’t find any trace of her.
All the while, Fuentes’ car lay smashed, hidden by bushes and grass, after falling hundreds of meters down the side of a cliff.
Missing person flyer by Jolissa Fuentes, 22, of California
Fuentes was seen on surveillance video of a gas station getting out of her car – a silver 2011 Hyundai Accent – and walking into the gas station and making a purchase before returning to her vehicle
The distraught family turned to amateur dive team Adventures with Purpose to help search for her by combing nearby lakes. The dive team has solved 23 missing persons cases and most recently discovered the body and silver SUV of missing teenager Kiely Rodni, 16
A statement released by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office following the discovery of Fuentes and her car read: “On Monday, October 10, Selma Police Department Chief Rudy Alcaraz discovered along Trimmer Springs Road near Pine Flat Lake vehicle wreckage.
“A closer look led Chief Alcaraz to suspect that a car accident may have occurred in the area. He found old tire tracks leading through vegetation and off a cliff. Chief Alcaraz contacted the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and asked members of the search and rescue team to respond on the website.
“Drones were flown and MPs abseiled more than 400ft off the road and discovered a damaged car. The vehicle belonged to Jolissa Fuentes.
“Human remains and some of Jolissa’s personal belongings were discovered in this canyon. Recovery efforts continued through Tuesday… No foul play is suspected in this case.
“Family, friends and law enforcement conducted extensive searches for Jolissa and broke the news in hopes of gaining information on her whereabouts.
“We would like to extend our prayers to all of Jolissa’s loved ones at this difficult time.”