Locating of the body of pregnant Marine Wife Erin Corwin—missing for seven weeks—and the arrest of a suspect, boyfriend Christopher Lee, came about as the result of a remarkable job by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Managing Editor Tami Roleff said the conclusion of this phase of the Corwin saga was the result of hard work and science…
The body of Erin Corwin, the pregnant 19-year-old Twentynine Palms Marine wife who has been missing since June 28, has been found. Sheriff John McMahon said at a press conference yesterday that detectives and hundreds of search-and-rescue personnel, including searchers who specialize in searching mines, spent more than 5,000 hours searching 300 square miles in the Brooklyn Mining District, Los Angeles Mining District, and Rose of Peru Mining District, east of Twentynine Palms.
“More than 100 mine shafts were identified and numerous bodies of water were located and searched. On Saturday, August 16, the search concluded with the discovery of Erin Corwin’s body in a 140-foot mine shaft.”
Homicide detective Sergeant Trevis Newport explains how the search-and-rescue personnel narrowed down the area to search. “We did forensics examinations of some computer technology, some cell phones, and many other electronic devices, and through those forensic exams we were able to determine a potential location for Erin Corwin’s body.”
Newport said the area where her body was found was very rough terrain. “It is not a very easily accessible area…. One would have a difficult time even in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. It’s a very dangerous area. There are lots of mine pits out there, and it’s very remote.”
He then described how they found her body. “One of our mining teams sent a camera down into a particular shaft, approximately 140 feet down, and we were able to locate Erin—what we believed at the time was a female corpse. Due to the air quality, we were unable to extract the remains from the bottom of the mine shaft on that day.”
County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig discussed the rescue operation on Sunday afternoon. “The rescue operation was about two hours. We made two entries. The first entry was to collect evidence. The second rescue was to then extract the body of Ms. Corwin.”
The remains were positively identified through dental records just three hours after the recovery as being Erin Corwin, and shortly afterward, her former neighbor and alleged lover, Christopher Lee, a Marine who was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in July, was arrested in Alaska for homicide.
Depending on whether Lee fights extradition, he could return to California in just a few days or up to four to five weeks. Earlier today, District Attorney Michael Ramos announced Christopher Lee will be charged with murder with special circumstances of lying in wait, which could mean, if Lee is convicted, the death penalty.
