Was Lauren Cho murdered? Human remains in Yucca Valley identified as missing NJ chef
YUCCA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA: Lauren Cho, the 30-year-old New Jersey woman who went missing in June 2021, has been found dead after human remains in Yucca Valley were identified as her. On October 10, 2021, remains of a body were discovered in the high desert area of Yucca Valley in California, near the last known whereabouts of the chef. Lauren Cho was reportedly last seen in the area around Hoopa Road and Ben Mar Trail in between Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley on June 28 this year.
The news of her death was confirmed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, October 28, exactly four months since she went missing. Fondly known to her friends as 'El', Cho was last seen alive when she set out on a solo walk from her Airbnb rental, where she had put up with her friends. Cho's disappearance gained attention in the aftermath of the mysterious disappearance and death of Gabby Petito, followed by her fiance Brian Laundrie's death.
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According to the Morongo Basin Sheriff's public appeal to find Cho on June 30, at the time of her disappearance, Cho was wearing a yellow tee-shirt and jean shorts in the area of Hoopa x Benmar, Morongo Valley, and was on foot. Since then, Cho's family and friends have issued pleas for help in finding her, with police looking into whether she might have hitchhiked or caught a ride with someone in the area. Approximately a month after Cho disappeared, authorities conducted an aerial search of the area near her short-term rental. Some days after the aerial search, the property where Cho had been staying was also searched by deputies.
Cho's former boyfriend, Orell, who was also the last person to see her, claimed that she wanted to "taste freedom", as she joined him on his tour bus as he made his way out west. Cho was staying at a friend's place with Orell and was in the process of renovating an old school bus into a food truck when she went missing. She was last seen at approximately 3 pm on June 28, 2021 and was reported missing around 5:13 pm. Orell reported to authorities, "There was a 10-minute window there and she evaporated ... I searched all in the hills and no tracks, anywhere."
The cause of Cho's death is yet to be determined. An aspiring soprano singer, Cho was reportedly suffering from "mental distress" and was "upset" at the time when she went out for a walk alone. While the police are yet to reveal any potential cause of death, many believe that the 30-year-old was murdered. However, there is no substantial evidence pointing toward any foul play yet.