A dozen search and rescue volunteers and a helicopter crew are searching Joshua Tree National Park in California for a pregnant 19-year-old woman from Oak Ridge who was reported missing on Sunday.

Erin Corwin was last seen leaving her Twentynine Palms, California, home on her way to Joshua Tree National Forest at about 7 a.m. Saturday, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said. Her husband, Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing on Sunday.

The Sheriff’s Department said it began an extensive air and ground search using volunteers and search and rescue teams. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Homicide Detail is assisting in the investigation.

Specialized investigators, detectives from Morongo Basin/Twentynine Palms station, and patrol personnel are also at the scene, the Sheriff’s Department said in an update posted late Thursday morning. The search area continues to be in and around the Joshua Tree National Park, authorities said.

KTLA-TV in Los Angeles said Corwin was going to the park to see if it would be a good place for a family outing during a planned visit with her mother, Lore Heavilin of Oak Ridge. Heavilin had planned a trip there to celebrate Erin’s birthday on July 15.  [Read more…]