Woman’s Body Found in Desert

San Bernardino County detectives searching the desert near the town of Yermo have found a body that may be a 26-year-old mother who has been missing since May 15, authorities said.

Detectives looking for Kristina Garcia, a Raytheon employee and mother of a 2-year-old girl, discovered the body Wednesday about 5 p.m. off Fort Irwin Road.

“There’s a possibility it’s [Garcia], but we can’t confirm that it’s her yet,” said Cpl. Marie Spain of the San Bernardino County sheriff’s Barstow station.

Coroner’s officials have not identified the body and the cause of death has not been determined, said Cindy Beavers, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

When Garcia did not show up for work, colleagues became concerned and went to her Barstow apartment.

Several employees found Garcia’s daughter alone and the front door unlocked, Beavers said.

Her cellular phone was in the apartment and her car was outside, she said. “Her friends said it was so unlike her to leave her cell phone, let alone her baby,” Beavers said.

Garcia’s estranged husband in Alabama has taken custody of the toddler, she said.

On Wednesday, detectives were searching a desert area near Yermo Cutoff Road when they found “evidence of a struggle,” Beavers said. Detectives would not be more specific, she said.

Officers using a search helicopter found the body, Beavers said.