The remains of a couple from California that was reported missing earlier were discovered in the San Bernardino National Forest on Monday afternoon after they were seen for the last time on January 29.
29-year-old Paul Arthur Stockwell Jr., from Big Bear, and his girlfriend, Ria Gabriella Williams, 27, of Santa Ana, were first announced to be missing when Williams missed work on Friday; and her colleagues started getting suspicious that something might be wrong.
Williams, who graduated from Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge in 2011, was originally from the state of Connecticut.
Meanwhile, Paul’s absence was noticed by his father, Paul Stockwell, who runs a candle shop in Big Bear.
Following the reports that the couple was missing, a search party was gathered, and eventually, Williams’s vehicle was found parked near a hiking trail in the forest on Monday, which prompted investigators to proceed to search the vicinity with the help of police dogs.
According to information from the local sheriff’s department, the two deaths will be treated as a homicide case, even though neither of the missing reports indicated any suspicious circumstances.
An official statement read: “Neither of the missing person reports indicated any suspicious circumstances or reason to suspect foul play.”
For the time being, it remains unknown what caused the demise of the two young people, but autopsies of the remains will be carried out.
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner John McMahon said in a statement: “Deputies learned that Williams was last seen in Big Bear on Wednesday, January 29th with her boyfriend, Paul Stockwell. On Friday, January 31st Williams did not report to work, and a co-worker reported her missing. Stockwell had also been reported missing by his father. Neither of the missing person reports indicated any suspicious circumstances or reason to suspect foul play.”
McMahon added: “Homicide Detectives are conducting a death investigation. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death for each victim.”
The death of Stockwell leaves behind his devastated father, Paul Sr., who used the help of his son to manage the store, as his health condition deteriorated over the course of the last years, and he is currently leading a fight with blood cancer.
According to a friend of the late man, Paul Jr. was known to be one of the most incredible, generous, and full of life people among his peers in Big Bear.
The public is anxious to find out more about what happened and end the different conspiracy theories floating out there.
