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Southern California authorities tracing missing New Jersey woman Lauren Cho said on Sunday they found human remains near her last known location in the high desert.
No connection has been made with Cho, 30, known to friends and family as Lauren “El” Cho. Identification of the remains by the San Bernardino County coroner could take weeks, sheriff officials said.
“The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has conducted additional search and rescue as part of the ongoing search for Lauren Cho,” he said in a statement. “During the search, unidentified human remains were located in the rugged terrain of the open desert of the Yucca Valley.”
The location, which roughly matches the area where Cho was last seen, includes a property that had been searched in July.
Cho was last seen on June 28 shortly after 5 p.m., as she may have walked away from a short-term rental she used while traveling with friends and an ex-boyfriend sheriff officials said.
About a week later, those close to Cho activated a Facebook page titled “Missing Person: Lauren ‘El’ Cho” to raise awareness of her disappearance. The case of Cho, who is of Korean descent, and those of other women of color appeared to attract attention amid criticism of the intense media attention on the disappearance and death in late summer. of Gabby Petito, who was white.
Petito’s remains were found near Grand Teton National Park, and those uncovered during Cho’s search were found near Joshua Tree National Park.
“I want to use the attention now and get through it,” one of Cho’s friends tweeted on September 20 after Petito’s case became a mainstream national story.
About a month after Cho’s disappearance, authorities conducted an aerial search of the area near her short-term rental, and days later, deputies on the ground searched the property where Cho had stayed.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department put its specialized investigation division on the case on September 21.
Family members behind the Facebook page described Cho’s personality and spirit:
“El, that’s a lot… a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a weirdly intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister you could hope for. is where El really shines: as an aunt. Her love for her snack is unmatched. Even within the family, the consensus is that her snack is the person El loves the most in the world. world.”
Austin mullen contributed.
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