Authorities in California believe they have found the body of missing 22-year-old Jolissa Fuentes at the site of a car wreck in a ravine near Pine Flat Lake.
Fuentes was reported missing on Aug. 8, and the investigation was led by the Selma Police Department, with support from the Fresno County Sheriffs Office, the Fresno Police Department, the FBI, and other agencies.
On Monday, authorities discovered the wreckage and a body at the bottom of a cliff on Pine Flat Lake in rural eastern Fresno County.
“We wish we had better news,” Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz said at a news conference announcing the discovery.
Drone footage released by the Fresno County Sheriffs Office shows a sharp curve on Trimmer Springs Road where Fuentes drove over the cliff. Investigators said tire tracks ran through the vegetation at the top of the cliff, and it appears to have been a single-car accident with no foul play.
Because of the steep terrain, investigators had to rappel down the side of the cliff to reach the site of the crash. The vehicle was identified as belonging to Fuentes, and contained a womans belongings.
The identity of the remains must be confirmed by the coroners office, but “theres little doubt that we have found her,” Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said.
The area had been searched previously, but the terrain made it difficult to find the wreck.
“Chief Alcaraz is a very humble man, and he wont say this about himself, but, he personally found the scene of the accident. He went up to the mountains yesterday, on his own, researching areas that had already been searched, and on his own, he actually found the scene of the accident,” Mims said. “The City of Selma is very lucky to have him.”
