Murder-suicide in Joshua Tree may have been act of 'sympathy' after injury, family member says

An uncle of the woman found dead in Joshua Tree National Park reportedly said investigators believe her boyfriend may have killed her in a "sympathetic murder-suicide" after she suffered a head injury.

Joseph Orbeso, 22, shot and killed his girlfriend, Rachel Nguyen, 20, and then turned the gun on himself, according to a news release Friday from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Morongo Basin station. Investigators recovered a handgun at the scene, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said.

Son Nguyen, Rachel's uncle, told the Desert Sun that it appears Nguyen was hurt and that Orbeso was trying to end her pain.

"It was explained to us by the investigators on scene, with the circumstances and positioning of the bodies, that they believe this was a sympathetic murder-suicide," he told the newspaper.

Orbeso and Nguyen were reported missing July 28 after a bed-and-breakfast owner in the Morongo Basin told the Sheriff's Department they may have gone hiking in the park that morning.

Authorities found the couple's car near a trailhead the day they went missing and began searching for the two, at first pulling in 250 search and rescue resources, including "aircraft, dog teams, horse teams, and (a) ground team," who combined spent more than 2,100 hours looking for the couple. In August, they scaled back the search to weekends.

On Sunday, almost three months after they were reported missing, a park ranger found their bodies inside "a steep canyon to the far north of the Maze Loop Trailhead," according to the Sheriff's Department's statement.

"Based on evidence located at the scene, detectives believe Orbeso shot Nguyen, then shot himself. ....Orbeso's actions (remain) under investigation," the statement said.

The Sheriff's Department update comes days after Orbeso's father, Gilbert Orbeso, publicly identified the pair and authorities said they were found in an "embrace."

Authorities did not report the gunshot wounds when they announced the couple's discovery because the coroner's office had to confirm the injuries and identify both people, which took time because of the condition of the bodies after months in the desert, Bachman said.

When the two were found, their bodies did appear to be interlocked, she said.

A friend of Orbeso, Austin Young, told the Orange County Register he believes the couple got lost. . "They had a choice of a slow and painful death or a quick death. And they made the choice of a quick death."