The family of a woman who was killed by her boyfriend who then took his own life in a sympathetic murder suicide after they got lost hiking in Joshua Tree say they do not blame him for her death.
The comment came on Saturday a day after it was revealed Rachel Nguyen and her boyfriend Joshua Orbeso died in a ‘sympathetic murder suicide’ in the Californian hiking spot.
Their bodies were found locked in an embrace on October 15, three months after they went hiking for her birthday on July 28 but got lost and found themselves stranded with dwindling food and water.
On Friday, police revealed the results of an autopsy which demonstrated that the pair died of gunshot wounds.
They believe Orbeso first shot his girlfriend then took his own life but that it was a mercy killing they had decided on after losing hope that they would be found.
Her family said on Saturday that they do not blame him for her death and that they are grateful the pair were eventually found.
‘We hold no grudges against Joseph or the Orbeso family. We thank God that we’ll be able to give Rachel a proper burial and lay her to rest,’ the Nguyen family told San Francisco Gate in a statement.
Police have not revealed when they believe the pair died or whose gun it was that was used.
Rachel Nguyen (left), 20, was shot by her boyfriend Joseph Orbesa, 22, who then took his own life in a ‘sympathetic murder suicide’ after the pair lost hope they would be rescued
Park rangers found the couple’s abandoned car on July 28, the same day they were reported missing. Their bodies were found in the apparent murder-suicide on Sunday inside the park
The couple were visiting Joshua Tree National Park to celebrate Nguyen’s birthday, a friend said after they disappeared.
Orbeso, a security guard at a Long Beach golf course, was ‘in very good shape, always carries knives when hiking and is a survivalist,’ said the friend, 23-year-old Austin Young.
‘He is also the most respectful, honest, and straight-forward person you will ever meet,’ he said.
The young couple, both from Orange County, were first reported missing on July 28, after they failed to check out of their accommodations near the park.
The concerned owner of the bed and breakfast contacted authorities, who discovered the couple’s car sitting unoccupied near a trail head the same day.
The car, a burgundy Lexus, was discovered near the Maze Loop, in the northwest area of the park, and footprints were seen leading away from it.
Investigators believe that Orbeso fatally shot his girlfriend Nguyen (pictured) before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. They were visiting the park to celebrate her birthday
Orbeso’s car was found abandoned in the park after the two never checked out of their bed and breakfast back in July
A massive search and rescue effort of over 250 team members followed their disappearance
Authorities said a ping from Orbeso’s cellphone was recorded in the park a day before the couple was reported missing.
Temperatures in the park topped 100 degrees around the time the couple went missing.
A massive search and rescue effort of over 250 team members followed their disappearance, combing the park’s 791,000 acres for any clue to the couple’s whereabouts.
After searching for more than a week on foot, horseback, and from the air, with at least 10 rescuers suffering injuries in the search, the difficult decision was made to scale back search operations on August 6.
The couple were reported missing July 28, after they failed to check out of their accommodations near the park. Above, the search effort in July is seen
Search teams included dogs, horses, and aircraft as rescuers desperately combed the park
At least 10 search and rescue team members were injured in the massive search, and the difficult decision was made to scale back search efforts on August 6
The couple were not experienced hikers, and temperatures reached 100 when they disappeared. Orbeso’s motive in shooting Nguyen and then himself remains unclear
Orbeso’s father Gilbert didn’t give up hope, and continued to search for clues to the couple’s fate until their bodies were discovered by a park ranger in a remote part of the park.
‘I believed I was going to find them. I didn’t know when, but I had my answer today,’ Gilbert told KABC earlier this week.
He said that they found clothing near a wash, and a trail of water bottles and food wrappers led them to the bodies, which were embracing one another.
George Land, a spokesman for Joshua Tree National Park, said the couple did not appear to be experienced hikers.
‘They weren’t desert rats,’ Land said. ‘This is a whole different world out here.’