Desperate search underway for woman missing in scorching Mojave Desert off-roading area
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Set us as preferred A retired Long Beach schoolteacher has been missing for four days in a rugged Mojave Desert off-roading area amid triple-digit temperatures, raising concerns about her well-being.Authorities and volunteers have conducted multiple searches for Julie Goforth, 63, who was last seen early Friday riding her dirt bike in the sprawling El Mirage Dry Lake Off Highway Recreation Area near Adelanto.As of Tuesday morning, neither she nor her bike had been found.Goforth’s family has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her safe return.
“We just want her to come home,” said her daughter, Candice Walker.Goforth, an experienced rider, had recently gotten the new dirt bike, and she visited the 27,000-acre off-roading area with a friend to try it out, according to her daughter.But after struggling a bit to ride the bike, Goforth separated from her friend, telling him she was going back to their vehicle, Walker said.
The friend later returned to the vehicle to find that Goforth wasn’t there, she said.San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies have searched for Goforth on horseback and in off-road vehicles, using search-and-rescue dogs, drones and a helicopter, according to the Sheriff’s Department.Volunteers with the Victor Valley Search and Rescue Team also have joined in the effort.
A search party organized by Goforth’s family members and friends went out Tuesday, using bikes, all-terrain vehicles and even a few planes, her daughter said.Climate & Environment President Trump recently rescinded executive orders that restricted off-roading on federal public lands, but other rules remain on place.“So many days have gone by, it’s hard to imagine that she’s still alive, but we’re having hope that she is,” Walker said.
“And if not, we just want her to come home.Just bring her home ...