Human remains found during search for missing New Jersey woman in Yucca Valley

Quinn WilsonOctober 10, 2021 at 5:12 p.m.

Lauren Cho, 30, from New Jersey, was last seen leaving a home where she was staying on June 28 in the 8600 block of Benmar Trail of Yucca Valley. (Courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)

Unidentified human remains were found in the open desert of Yucca Valley during a search and rescue operation in the ongoing effort to locate Lauren Cho, who disappeared in the area in June, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Sunday, Oct. 10.

The remains were found on Saturday, Oct. 9, and were transported to the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office to be processed to identify them and determine a cause of death, the Sheriff's Department said. The identification process could take several weeks, officials said.

Cho, 30, of New Jersey, was last seen on June 28 when she reportedly walked away from a home she was staying in during a visit in the 8600 block of Benmar Trail, an area northwest of Joshua Tree National Park.

Friends and family had been working with investigators on previous search operations, officials said.

A search warrant was served on July 31 at the home she was last seen at and surrounding areas in addition to various aerial and ground searches, the Sheriff's Department said.

Cho was described as an Asian woman standing five feet three inches tall, with black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a yellow T-shirt and jean shorts, authorities said.

The disappearance of Gabby Petito, a white 22-year-old woman who went missing in Wyoming in August during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, has drawn a frenzy of coverage on traditional and social media, bringing new attention to a phenomenon known as "missing white woman syndrome."

Many families and advocates for missing people of color have questioned why the public spotlight so important to finding missing people has left other cases shrouded in uncertainty.

Cho's family has said in a Facebook statement they understand the frustrations, but cautioned that differences between cases "run deeper than what meets the public eye."

Anyone with information regarding the search for Cho was urged to contact Detective Edward Hernandez at 909-387-3589.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.