Authorities in Riverside County, California are investigating human skeletal remains found off of a trail in Joshua Tree National Park last week.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office received an alert about the gruesome discovery at around 12:08 p.m. from park researchers.
The remains were found in Twentynine Palms on the northern side of the popular park.
“Federal Park Rangers were alerted to the discovery by researchers and requested the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau to respond,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The Coroner’s Bureau arrived at the scene and assumed the investigation.”
The deceased person’s identity and cause of death are still being determined but relatives of a missing hiker identified the remains as Trammel Evans.
The family said on Instagram that Evans, 25, vanished in May 2023 while hiking in the same area where the remains were found.
“It appears he succumbed to complications related to alcohol withdrawal,” they suggested.
“He sought healing through being in nature but underestimated the challenges of his condition.”
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information about the incident to contact Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at (760) 836-1600 or anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867).
