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Lauren Cho, a New Jersey woman missing since June, was pronounced dead after authorities found her human remains in a desert near the Yucca Valley in Southern California. However, the cause of her death has not been revealed due to pending toxicology reports.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office issued an official statement about their discovery on Thursday, 28 October 2021:
"The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Division has positively identified the human remains to be Lauren Cho, 30-year-old resident of New Jersey. The cause and manner of death is pending toxicology results. No further information will be released on this case until such time toxicology results are available and new information is discovered as a result."
The New Jersey native was last seen leaving her residence on June 28 and was reported missing by her former boyfriend, Cody Orell. Officials issued a search warrant for the house and surrounding areas on July 31 leading to extensive ground and aerial searches.
Everything to know about Lauren Cho
Lauren Cho, nicknamed 'El', was a 30-year-old Korean-American woman from New Jersey. She graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School in 2009 and attended Westminster Choir College to study music education.
She was a talented soprano singer and worked as a music teacher in a high school in Irvington Township. She also headed the church choir in her locality. In December 2020, Lauren decided to move to California to start a cross-country trip with her ex-boyfriend Cody Orell.
Speaking to Hi-Desert Star, Orell said that Lauren was not satisfied with her life as a teacher and wanted to convert a tour bus into a food truck in the Bombay Beach area:
“Lauren wanted a different life. She wanted to move from the East Coast and taste freedom. She quit her job and moved into the bus with me. The idea was she was going to come here and open the food truck and follow her dreams. Bombay Beach is an isolated community and we had a group of friends we started doing dinners with every night with El cooking. It became the hub of the community.”
Meanwhile, Lauren Cho’s family wrote on Facebook that she was a great singer and talented baker. They also mentioned that she was funny, a wonderful friend, sister, and an amazing aunt to her niece:
“El is many things… a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for. But this is where El really shines: as an aunt. “The love she has for her nibling is unmatched. Even among family, the consensus is that her nibling is the person El loves most in this world.”
Unfortunately, Lauren Cho went missing back in June and was found dead earlier this month.
A look into Lauren Cho’s missing investigation
Lauren Cho and her former boyfriend Cody Orell were invited to a friend’s Airbnb in Yucca Valley before the 30-year-old went missing. She was reportedly working as a private chef in the house.
On the day of her disappearance, the former school teacher walked out of the residence looking upset and did not return to the venue. Orell was the last person to see her and mentioned that she “evaporated” within a “10-minute window” when he went inside the tour bus:
“On Sunday she was going out to meet someone and wasn’t saying who. I didn’t pry into it then, but of course now I wish… She was apparently trying to take her car at the time but she didn’t have the keys. She had an intention to go somewhere and I know she was dating again. Maybe she doesn’t realize we’re searching.”
Mara Rodriguez, Public Information Officer, Bernardino Sheriff's Department told Fox News that Lauren Cho was suffering from mental health issues, according to her ex-boyfriend:
"It was reported, during the evening of 28 June 2021, Cho was upset and presumably walked away from the resort leaving behind her personal belongings. Approximately three hours later, Cho was reported missing by her former boyfriend, and he indicated she was suffering from mental distress."
Orell and his friends searched for the missing woman for nearly three hours and contacted the police about her disappearance. Lauren Cho’s family also launched a Facebook page titled “Missing Person: Lauren El Cho” to help in the search investigation.
Her missing case came to light in the wake of Gabby Petito’s disappearance after attention was brought to several pending missing cases involving people of color. Officials from the Specialized Investigations Division joined the search for Lauren Cho in September 2021 and assisted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office in the case.
Officials found human remains in the rugged terrain of an open desert in the Yucca Valley on October 10. The remains were later identified as those of Lauren Cho, bringing a sad end to her case.
Investigations into the cause of her death are currently underway as authorities await toxicology results. However, no suspect or person of interest has been identified in the case so far.
