An assistant to Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Was found dead Friday after he and his girlfriend went missing in California’s Death Valley National Park.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook that 32-year-old Alexander Lofgren and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Emily Henkel, found themselves by aerial reconnaissance on a “ remote and steep ledge ” in the Willow Creek area of the park.
-Final Press Release- INYO COUNTY, CA, APRIL 9, 2021, 3:30 PM- At approximately 11:40 AM today Inyo County Search and …
Posted by Inyo County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, April 8, 2021
Authorities said Lofgren has died, but Henkel was found alive and flown in for medical treatment.
The cause of Lofgren’s death, as well as Henkel’s condition, are both unclear.
Lofgren was a case worker in the Grijalva district office. According to The Republic of Arizona, he was hired in 2019 as part of Congressman’s Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program.
“The passion he devoted to his work every day touched countless lives. Regardless of the situation, Alex met those he helped with smiling faces, caring hearts and unparalleled empathy, ”said Grijalva in a statement on two Twitter sites.
Words cannot begin to describe how heartbroken I am about the death of Alex Lofgren, a dedicated case worker in my district office.
Alex will be a part of our family forever, and my heart is with his family, his loving partner Emily, and his colleagues who mourn him today. pic.twitter.com/Fyi7zWNYiK
– Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) April 9, 2021
The sheriff’s office said it began searching for the couple on Tuesday after it received a report that they had not returned from their trip on April 4.
Authorities first found their missing white 2018 Subaru Forester on Thursday afternoon at 11am with a note that read “two punctures, on their way to Mormon Point, have three days of water.”
The note was a “crucial tip in sending search efforts,” authorities said.
Authorities located the pair on Thursday afternoon, but an attempt to rescue them failed due to “the extreme location” where they were found. The members of the search and rescue team were able to successfully rescue them at 11:40 am Friday.
“This was a hugely difficult operation in a very brutal geographic area of Inyo County, I sincerely hope for a cure and recovery for everyone involved,” Inyo County Sheriff Jeff Hollowell said in a statement.