Remains May Be Tourists Missing 13 Years

Bones Found in Death Valley May Be From German Party Whose Abandoned Van Was Found in 1996

(AP)  Skeletal remains found in Death Valley may belong to one or more of the four German tourists who vanished in searing summer heat 13 years ago, authorities said Friday.

Two hikers discovered the bones Thursday in a remote area of the famous Mojave Desert park. The hikers were search-and-rescue workers from Riverside County but they were off duty at the time, Inyo County sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper said.

Identification for one of the missing tourists was found near the bones, she said.

"We're fairly certain" that the remains are those of one or more of the long-missing visitors, Roper said. However, formally identifying the remains will be a long process, she said. The cause of death also must be determined.

"At this point, it's being handled like a criminal investigation ... but there is no evidence of foul play at this point," Roper said.

The remains were found southeast of Goler Wash, a rugged area accessible only by 4-wheel-drive vehicles. The area is several miles south of the spot where an abandoned minivan the tourists had rented was found months after they were reported missing.

Roper said it would be a relief to solve a mystery that stretches back to 1996.

"I know a lot of people have invested a lot of their time and energy and emotions into concluding the case," she said.

The park near the Nevada border is considered the hottest and driest location in North America.

The four who vanished in the 3-million-acre wilderness on July 22, 1996, were Dresden residents Cornelia Meyer, 27; her 4-year-old son, Max; her boyfriend, architect Egbert Rimkus, 34, and his 10-year-old son, Georg Weber.

They had arrived in the United States earlier in the month and were touring in a Plymouth Voyager minivan rented in Los Angeles.

They checked out of a Las Vegas hotel room on July 22 and arrived in Death Valley the same day, records indicated.

Temperatures in the park that week had topped 120 degrees.

The visitors bought an information booklet at the visitor center and then apparently stayed overnight in the park and the next day took a dirt road into a remote area.

An entry in German and dated July 23, 1996, was left in a guest book kept in a box on a metal pole in an abandoned mining camp. It indicated the visitors were going through "the pass" - possibly a reference to Mengel Pass, a dirt trail that crosses the barren Panamint Range, a barren mountain range on the park's southwestern border.

The entry was signed "Conny, Egbert, Georg, Max."

They weren't heard from again.

On Oct. 23, the locked van was found mired in sand in a ravine off roadless Anvil Spring Canyon, amid rolling hills at an elevation of 3,000 feet and far from usual tourist routes. Three tires were shredded and one had come loose from the rim.

Searchers found a beer bottle a quarter-mile away that appeared to have come from a package found in the van.

Inside the van were rolls of exposed photo film, sleeping bags, empty gallon water containers, the Death Valley information booklet and an American flag apparently taken from a stone cabin in Butte Valley, five miles away.

No tracks that could have been made by the missing tourists were found. No passports or personal effects such as keys, a purse or wallet were found.

A team of 45 searchers, eight horses and four helicopters from California and Nevada law enforcement agencies combed the area but found nothing more.

[myotter]

Jason, are u proud of the fact thar u duped some rich girl n2 thinking ur the man of her dreams, or ur too lazy or dumb to go out and make ur own fortune and have 2 rely on a woman to pay ur way, or ur parents did't teach u any better? If ur indeed telling the truth which I doubt, since you have to use a free forum-which has nothing to do with dating, I might add, to do your adversising, AND a woman would get her "rich" status because of her brains, most of the time, then I am happy to tell you that she'll soon figure out ur games and u'll be searching again. Happy hunting! In the meantime, DON'T use a thread such as this. We don't appreciated it or want to know about your probs finding a suitable girlfriend.

[retiredgustav]

I have visited Death Valley many times,In the winter of early spring.
I also make it a point to take a couple of cases of water and stay on the main road. It is a beautiful place but very unforgiving!

[veteran71]

Uuuuhhh,.....it's called "DEATH VALLEY"......Not "Happy Valley", not "Cool Water Valley", not even "Rather Warm Sometimes Valley".
The name would have been my first clue that it might just be a tiny bit dangerous..................but that's just me....

[sean7phil]

I wonder if the warnings are in many languages. They should be. I've been dangerous parks in Colorado where the warning signs are only in English, but I was standing there with tourists from other countries.

[retiredgustav]

Funny you should bring that up. Many years ago when I was a young man growing up in Philadelphia, one of the subway stops had a sign writen in 8 or 9 different lauguages. I asked my Father who was born in Czechoslovakia why they did it that way. He explaned how not everyone understood English well enough to realze the danger.

[legacyABQ2]

Yeah, "tread", I dont know how you could have missed the awesome creation of nature all around you, but uh, it was there anyway, I guess. Ummmm

[legacyABQ2]

Wow. Poor folks.

It is pretty surprising how serious the threat in Death Valley truly is.. Gads, in July especially.. The winds; they suck the water right out of you.
You *cant* stay hydrated in those conditions. I wonder if they had been warned by anyone.

[maiingan]

This is such a sad story. I'm glad at least now their remains, hopefully, have been found. I've been in Death Valley more than once, including a drive-through during which we stepped outside briefly at 117 degrees ... the dogs were hiding on the floor of the pickup cab to stay cool. For people to break a sweat there is rare, because it's too dry most of the time. This is very deceptive for novices from humid climates like Germany. The tragedy makes me wonder if more people in the chain of their trip couldn't have done more to educate them about survival, navigation, and telling people where you're going in Death Valley. Even the damage the sharp rocks can do to tires is important to warn visitors of.

[HikerDan]

It is always sad when unprepared people end up like this... You don't go 4-wheeling in the Death Valley in minivan.. in the middle of July. And the beer is not the best thing for hydration.
It is extremely beautiful and fascinating place and there are so many interesting and unique things to see. But it is also harsh and deadly. Be respectful, be prepared, do your "homework"... Map,compass... Use common sense and be humble. And the desert will always call you back - year after year...

[Dadgumgerman]

People should be very prepared visiting a location such as this. The uninitiated end up like this very often. It really makes the early explorers in this land look larger than life, because of their resilience and grit. The early Native Americans were tough and could endure copious challenges, but modern tourists need to think ahead more before taking on Mother Nature. She can be vast and perilous.

[toldyouso21]

Anytime back country in National Parks are to be visited or hiked and are off the beaten path--it is best to let rangers know where you plan to go and when you plan to come back. For desert trips, hats, a HUGE amount of water, blankets, sunblock, and if possible a compass and gps guide would be ideal. It is easy to get disoriented in a desert and to get lost. it is also easy to die from over heating and a hot car would provide no relief. Do not expect cell phones to work in certain areas, they may be too remote to capture a signal.

[johntate777]

Sounds like they were found near Goler Wash, which is infamous for leading to the Manson hangout.

[Treadlightly2]

Someone in Hollywood is working on a script right now that will closely parallel the story we have just read. I bet $100.00 that it will be aired within the next 3 months. Any takers?
I spent one of the most boring days of my life trying to find something interesting at Death Valley. We saw a coyote. And bought some dates (they grow them there) at least the dates were really good.

[HikerDan]

Yeah... There are no shopping malls, drives are long and when you finally dare to pull your behind out of the car, for some reason it's aufully hot outside. And sweat is not pretty, and, keep in mind, that pesky sun ain't does nothing good to your skin.
Let it be your last visit to Death Valley - live the place to those, who actually see, when they look.

[legacyABQ2]

Abbey? Is that you?

:-)

[rwsmith29456]

You can venture into Death Valley, but if something goes wrong and you are not prepared it will become a matter of life and death very quickly. Death Valley didn't get its name in order to attract tourists.

[travelers345]

So they were found just a few miles from where the van was abandoned? Makes you wonder how much effort was put into the search, which you'd expect to at least cover a 20 or 30 mile area around the van.

[kbbpll]

The van wasn't found until 3 months later, so the bodies probably weren't too obvious by then. At least they stole a flag and brought beer.

[AnnieDanny]

Look how long it took them to find that missing millionaire aviator, and even then it was only an accident that they found him. I'm not an adventurer; I don't go any further than paved roads - but I have the impression that when they say it's ~rugged country~ then it also means it may be impossible to find you if anything goes wrong.

[fedup12]

May they RIP