Hiker located safely but four still missing

“This hiker was located safely,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) Media Information Bureau (MIB) wrote in response to an inquiry by the newspaper. A report was taken for a lost hiker at 2:41 p.m. Thursday, May 6.

Eight people have gone missing in the area since March of last year and four — Roy Prifogle, Melissa Lane, Lydia “Dia” Abrams and Diana Perez Gonzalez — remain missing.

The remains of Rosario Garcia were located late January.

The newspaper previously reported, “After seven long and grueling months, countless hours of searching by family, law enforcement and volunteers, handing out flyers, and missed birthdays and holidays, the family of Rosario Garcia can now have closure. Garcia’s remains were located 500 feet from her vehicle Jan. 24 by the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation (FOF) with the help of Western States Aerial Search (WSAS).”

“We have been in the Idyllwild area for some time searching for David O’Sullivan. Because of that, we noticed the articles in the Town Crier,” FOF Executive Director Cathy Tarr said. “When we saw the Garcia story still in the news after a couple of trips up there, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to bring in some of our resources to try to help locate her.”

The RCSD released the following Thursday, Feb. 18: “On Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, personnel from RMRU, Riverside County Search Dogs, Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau, Riverside County Forensics, Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team and personnel from the Hemet Station responded to the Mountain Center area and conducted a search in an area where information was received that possible human remains had been seen. Human remains consistent with an adult female were located in the area as well as items belonging to Rosario Garcia. Our Coroner’s Bureau was able to obtain a positive identification that the remains belonged to Rosario Garcia. There is no evidence of foul play.”

Garcia was last seen at her home July 7, 2020 in Hemet by her family. According to Garcia’s family, her car was found on Sawmill Trail 5E02 in Pinyon Pines two days after she was last seen, but there was no sign of Garcia after the RCSD conducted a search of the area.

Four people remain missing

Another search of the area where Prifogle went missing was conducted Sunday, April 18. “A search was completed on Sunday in the area where it was believed Roy [Prifogle] was last near,” the MIB wrote in an email response. “No evidence and or items were located during the search.” Prior to April 18, multiple searches had been conducted just after he was reported missing.

Prifogle was reported missing after going on a hike in the Pine Cove area Wednesday, March 4, 2020. He left home at about 1 p.m. and was last seen at the Pine Cove Market at 6:30 p.m. the same day. He was last seen wearing a red backpack and jeans.

Lane was last seen June 15, 2020. “I love my daughter so much and I’ve been praying for the other three families,” Lane’s mother Kathy Lamont said. “My heart tells me there is foul play somewhere.”

Local and Lane’s cousin Todd Gilliland was the last person to see her before she went missing. “I miss her a lot,” Gilliland said. “I wish we would get some kind of word about her. It’s nerve racking. They [RCSD] have interviewed me once when she was reported missing and haven’t talked to me since. I was the last one to see her. You would think they’d want to go over it with me again.”

According to Lamont in December, the RCSD last searched in early September with cadaver dogs on Black Mountain Trail, north of Pine Cove, where Lane was last seen. The search came back with nothing.

Abrams was 65 years old at the time she went missing. She is 5’ 5” tall, 130 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and turquoise jacket, yellow shirt and blue jeans.

On June 6, Abrams was last seen by her self-proclaimed live-in boyfriend/fiancé Keith Harper at her ranch in Apple Canyon (between Mountain Center and Garner Valley). Since the initial search efforts more than 11 months ago, the RCSD has not provided new information or updates regarding her disappearance.

David Gotfredson, News 8 investigative producer, previously reported that the San Juan County Sheriff in New Mexico obtained a search warrant and deputies impounded the RV Harper drove to New Mexico taking evidence from inside. However, the RCSD has not provided any persons of interest or suspects regarding Abrams or any of the other missing people.

Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit conducted searches on Abrams’ property before assigning the case to detectives.

The most recent woman to go missing from the Hemet/San Jacinto area is Diana Perez Gonzalez who was reported missing Dec. 11 and 27 years old at the time she went missing. According to family, Gonzalez visited the Idyllwild area regularly. She was last seen by her boyfriend.

Christy Rojas, Gonzalez’s sister, and her family are struggling with her sister missing.

Rojas said, “We’ve been terribly sad. We think about her every day and have dreams of her, waiting for any sign or a miracle because we miss her and love her a lot. But the most important, her baby needs her. We can see the sadness in her eyes. Although she can’t speak, we know she misses her mom.” Gonzalez is also pregnant.