Search and witness reports provided by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) detail an ongoing investigation into a cliffside crash in Ventura County that occurred on December 1. The final missing passenger believed to be involved in the incident was found on December 7 by the Ventura County Search and Rescue team (VCSAR).
The crash was discovered near Deer Creek Road, where a white Cadillac Escalade was located at the bottom of a cliff. However, the incident was not reported until approximately noon on December 2. The reporting party claimed they exited the vehicle post-crash, hiked to a nearby road, and secured transport from there, noting a lack of contact with the other two occupants of the vehicle thereafter.
Upon their arrival on December 2, CHP officers learned that neither the driver nor the additional passenger had been in contact since the crash. A comprehensive search operation was conducted across multiple agencies to locate the missing individuals, but no discovery was made before the search was paused four hours later due to inadequate lighting and challenging terrain.
The same day, fire officials confirmed that one of the missing occupants was found at their residence. By approximately 9 p.m., responders managed to access and search the vehicle, though could not locate the second missing occupant before suspending their search until the following Tuesday morning.
On the subsequent Tuesday, a CHP update disclosed that VCSAR conducted a helicopter search during daylight hours but remained unsuccessful in locating the final occupant. As a result, a missing person report was filed for this individual on December 6, prompting VCSAR to conduct a further search of the area on December 7. This search resulted in the discovery of a deceased body. Till now, it remains unclear why the crash was not reported earlier and whether the deceased is the driver or another passenger. The investigation is still pending, as stated by CHP.
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