A recently retired California teacher has gone missing after an outing on her dirt bike in the Mojave Desert. Julie Goforth, 63, was last seen on Friday morning riding a trail at the El Mirage Dry Lake Off-Highway Recreation Area, located northeast of Los Angeles.
Goforth, who is an experienced rider and frequently visits the desert, left her home in Long Beach with a friend to test a new Kawasaki dirt bike. She had reportedly experienced a few falls during the ride and decided to head back to their vehicle while her friend continued riding for a short period. When the friend returned to the car, Goforth was no longer there.
The friend reported Goforth missing to an employee at the recreation area around 8 a.m. on Friday. Deputies arrived that same day but were unable to locate her. A comprehensive search effort was launched on Saturday, involving drones, dogs, officers on horseback, helicopters, and volunteers.
One theory considered by the search team was that Goforth might have fallen into an old mineshaft, as several are present in the area. However, park officials noted that these shafts are typically marked and none are located directly on the known trails. Goforth's wife, Laura Wells, expressed difficulty in imagining her wife could not find her way back to the car, given her familiarity with the area. Despite this, search teams inspected several mineshafts without success.
Wells also voiced concerns that her wife may have been harmed or abducted. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Goforth's safe return.
Authorities have emphasized the urgency of the search, citing the risks posed by severe heat and potential lack of water in the desert environment. As of Tuesday morning, Goforth had been missing for approximately 100 hours. The family organized a larger volunteer search effort for Tuesday.
Goforth recently retired after a career as an elementary school teacher. She is known to her young granddaughter as 'GG'.