Missing Simi woman found dead in the desert
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

The body of Renee Fox, a 25year-old Simi Valley mother, was discovered and identified last week near the town of Bishop in the desert of Inyo County, Calif.

Fox had been missing since June 24. Her body was discovered on Aug. 16 by a man from Ridgecrest who had volunteered to search the desert for the missing woman. On Aug. 18 the Inyo County coroner's office established a positive ID through dental records.

The body was discovered in a ravine a quarter-mile from where Fox's car had broken down. Her black Volkswagen Jetta was discovered on Highway 395 about 30 miles south of Bishop.

According to the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, witnesses saw Fox on the afternoon of June 24 walking south on Highway 395 in Mazourka County. They reported that she refused offers for rides as well as a bottle of water from one driver.

The police were alerted about Fox's presence on the highway that night but delayed their search for the woman until the next morning. When police were unable to find her in four days of searching, Fox's family hired EquuSearch, a nonprofit, horse-mounted searchand-rescue team from Texas.

According to sources, Fox had been experiencing a difficult year. She was in the midst of a divorce from her husband, Brian, and was not granted custody of her 5-year-old-son, Eric. She was also struggling to overcome a methamphetamine addiction.

The Inyo County coroner's office and the Inyo County Sheriff's Department were not willing to make any comments regarding the investigation.

"The details of the investigation are still pending the outcome of the autopsy," said Leon Brune, the Inyo County coroner.

The cause of death is still undetermined, pending an autopsy by the Orange County coroner's office. Results of the autopsy will be available in six to eight weeks.

The sheriff's department is conducting the investigation in conjunction with the Department of Justice.