The search for a missing Fullerton couple has come to a tragic end. Both seniors were found in Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, about 65 miles northeast of San Diego.
Dianna Bedwell, 68, was airlifted and is being treated with severe dehydration at the Palomar Medical Center. Investigators say that her condition is serious and deteriorating.
Cecil Knutson, 79, did not survive the horrific incident.
Investigators say that Sunday afternoon ATV riders came upon the couple's 2014 white Hyundai Sonata in a remote, rugged area, accessible only by off-roaders.
The car was found under a tree, Knutson's body was outside and Bedwell was found inside. They say she was coherent and was able to identify herself, but was not able to tell them when her husband had died.
Lt. Ken Nelson said that an autopsy will help find answers to what happend to Mr. Knutson. Bedwell told authorities they were looking for a shortcut when they got lost and stuck on a muddy road.
Their disappearance led to several ground and aerial searches of the back country but the couple was surrounded by trees and bushes, making it impossible for rescuers to locate them.
"They were really off the beaten path. We were really surprised that the vehicle they were driving, a sedan, was even able to get out there," Nelson said. "It was so rural that it took two weeks for even off-roaders to find them."
Rescuers reported that the pair, both diabetic, were surviving on rain water and some food that was in the car.
Robert Acosta, Bedwell's son, spoke to the media. "We loved [Knutson] so much and I can't even begin to understand the grieving process," Acosta told KSWB. "There is no doubt in my mind that my dad kept my mom alive ... He was a marine and a hero."
Knutson and Bedwell were both retired school bus drivers and were married for more than 25 years, the Orange County Register reported.
