A missing Williamsburg man has been confirmed dead by coroners in California.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Division has identified male remains found at Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark on June 16 as 64-year-old William Schmierer of Williamsburg, said Mike Sutcliffe, supervising coroner investigator for the sheriff’s department.
Susan Schmierer, his wife, has still not been found.
Schmierer and his wife were set to arrive in Palm Springs on June 2 at the end of their cross-country vacation from Virginia, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The couple left Virginia in late May.
A search for the couple began on June 13, after the Sheriff’s office received a report of an abandoned vehicle from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The vehicle, belonging to the Schmierers, had been parked at the Amboy Crater trailhead for about 10 days.
Bureau rangers and aviation crews from the sheriff’s department joined in the search.
Three days later search crews found male remains matching Schmierer’s description about a quarter of a mile from the parking area. However, the coroner was unable to positively identify the body immediately.
Forensic science was unable to reveal the cause of William Schmierer’s death because the remains had reached “advanced decomposition,” Sutcliffe said. The level of decomposition also prevented investigators from determining when he died.
Schmierer’s body was found about a quarter-mile east from the parking lot where the couple’s car was found.
Sutcliffe said the coroner’s office does not determine whether a death is considered suspicious.
Crews are still searching for Susan Schmierer as time and temperatures allow, Sutcliffe said.
The searches are dependent on manpower, as volunteer forces team up with the sheriff’s office. Rescue efforts are also dependent on the weather.
Sutcliffe said conditions in the Amboy Crater area are harsh, with high temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night.
“You have to have the right shoes, enough water,” Sutcliffe said. “You have to have shade. It’s pretty unforgiving out there.”
