Search For Missing OC Couple Ends Tragically
FULLERTON (CBSLA.com) — Deputies Monday continued their investigation into the disappearance of Fullerton couple that was found on a Native American reservation in San Diego County.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, ATV riders located the vehicle of Cecil Knutson, 79, and Dianna Bedwell, 68, in a remote area of the Lost Valley Boy Scout Camp in the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Upon their arrival, deputies located a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata resting at an angle on a hill, under a tree near on boulders. The vehicle was located several miles from a good road in an area that is meant for off-roading.
Investigators reported Knutson, who was laying next to the Hyundai, was pronounced dead at the scene. Bedwell was talking but confused. She asked the ATV riders to check on her husband, apparently unsure whether he was alive.
"Given what I know about both of their medical backgrounds, her being found alive is absolutely a miracle. It defies all logic. She shouldn't have survived," according to private investigator Bill Garcia, who was hired by the couple's family.
Bedwell was airlifted to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for treatment of severe dehydration and hypothermia, and was listed in serious condition.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, her health is declining.
Knutson and Bedwell were last seen leaving the Valley View Casino in San Diego County around 2 p.m. on May 10.
Authorities explained the married couple of 25 years had planned to go to their son's home in La Quinta for a Mother's Day barbeque, but failed to show up.
A preliminary investigation revealed Knutson and Bedwell attempted to take a shortcut after leaving the casino, but became lost.
The Fullerton couple, who both suffered from diabetes and needed insulin shots, were stranded for nearly two weeks in the remote area.
Bedwell told authorities they lived off of a bag of oranges and a pie they had with them in the car.
"It looks like they were surviving on rainwater. There were cups around, they were drinking rainwater as it rained. They had been out there, for all indications, since May 10," Los Coyotes Tribal Police Department Chief Dave Sossaman said. "It's obvious they were walking around. There footsteps were spotted in the area and it appears they tried to walk out two different times."
Detectives said their cell phones pinged a few miles north of the casino before they were shut off. A tracking device similar to OnStar was either shut off or removed from inside their vehicle.
Officials explained they do not believe foul play was involved in this incident.
Authorities are working to determine Knutson's cause of death.
