Elderly San Diego couple found dead at bottom of well in Mexico days after duo went missing while on holiday
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: An elderly couple missing for days have been found dead near their abandoned vehicle in Mexico. The bodies of 78-year-old Ian Hirschsohn and Kathy Harvey, 73, both from San Diego were found at the bottom of a well in a remote area south of Ensenada.
According to reports, the pair went missing while on a vacation near El Socorrito, south of San Quintin. The couple has a home in the region and on August 28, they sent their last message to a relative saying they were going to explore a gold mine or visit a beach. But the Baja California state prosecutor's office said in a statement on Monday, September 7, that they found the retired duo's remains in the well. A law enforcement officer, who does not want their identity to be revealed, told The Daily Mail on Tuesday, September 8, that Baja California authorities were seeking an arrest of a male suspect and were in the process of getting a warrant.
Hirschsohn and Harvey, both were reported missing on September 2. The woman’s son, Robert Harvey, told CBS8 that his mother sent him a text on the evening of August 28, saying they were planning a holiday and would go to a gold mine or to a beach. After that, they never contacted him. It has been reported that the couple was expected to return to San Diego on August 31 after a week of holidaying.
Robert said he got to know from the office of the Consulate General in Tijuana that his parents’ navy-blue Toyota Land Cruiser had been discovered in Ensenada earlier this week. As per the Baja California state prosecutor's office, their bodies were found on Thursday, September 3, before being recovered on September 4 and 5. The cause and motive of deaths remain unknown while the investigation continues.
Harvey’s son, Robert, paid tribute to his mother who worked over 30 years as a physical therapist in Chula Vista before retiring from the job. "She was really enjoying retirement and had multiple groups of friends. She loved walking and traveling. She had a huge bucket list of where she wanted to go,” he said. While in a Facebook post, Hirschsohn’s daughter, Ava Setzer, wrote: “My dad Ian has a house in El Socorrito and is a seasoned veteran of Baja travel since purchasing the house in ‘85 - he was staying at the house and the community is the first to report him missing not me. He was due back to the USA on 8/31 and border reports he has not crossed back. Edit: he typically windsurfs at the spots shown in the map below at the bay south of San Quintin.” Setzer's social media message seemed written before the tragic discovery. She also posted pictures of the pair and their car.
Hirschsohn’s LinkedIn profile stated that he graduated from the University of The Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 1963 after getting a degree in mechanical engineering. He also had two master’s degrees - one in engineering sciences from Purdue University in 1966 and another one he got in 1967 in aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Princeton University.