Search For Missing Georgia Man Suspended

Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Search For Missing Georgia Man Suspended

The park has suspended daily search operations for Georgia resident William Ewasko, 65, who was reported missing on June 25th and is believed to have gone hiking in the Quail Mountain area. The search has been conducted under a unified command with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, which has also terminated search operations and is now handling the incident as a missing person case. The park will support the county’s investigative efforts. Although Joshua Tree has suspended active search operations, the search itself will continue on an intermittent basis when staff and SAR volunteers are available. Many agencies and organizations contributed staff, time, and support to the Ewasko search. More than 100 volunteers took part in search and rescue operations in the Quail Mountain area, contributing over 1,400 hours of ground search time. They were aided by equestrian search teams, trained dog teams, and air support. Dozens of additional staff members and volunteers provided logistics support for the extended search effort with hundreds of contributed hours. The park extends its thanks to all of them. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of William Ewasko is asked to contact Palm Desert’ Sheriff’s Station investigator Mario Martinez at 760-836-1600.