On Monday, September 8th, Nola Taylor, 84, left the Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, en route to her quilting class at the Yucca Valley Community Center. She never arrived there. Taylor’s vehicle was discovered by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, September 12th, after her son reported her missing. The car appeared to have become disabled while turning around on a life estate private road in the park. The sheriff’s department started an immediate search of the area using patrol personnel, aircraft, bloodhounds, and their own search and rescue teams. They did not realize at the time that this was an obscure portion of the park, but upon notification began cooperative efforts with park staff.
Rangers and volunteers from the park's SAR team, JOSAR, are coordinating search activities with the sheriff's department on both sides of the park boundary. Taylor has still not been located.