An 89-year-old Yucca Valley woman, missing since Thursday evening, December 22, was found deceased in Yucca Valley Monday evening, December 26. The body of Dorothy O’Brien, who suffered from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, was found at 5:08 p.m. Monday night in a wash near the 56600 block of Little League Drive in Yucca Valley. Sheriff’s investigators say the cause of death has not yet been determined but exposure to cold weather conditions is suspected. They say there were no signs of injury or foul play. The County Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Sheriff’s deputies, volunteer search and rescue personal, a blood hound, residents, and the Sheriff’s helicopter had been involved in an intense search effort over the holiday weekend. Dorothy O’Brien was last seen Thursday in the 7000 block of Cholla in Yucca Valley at about 5:00 p.m.
