2 Brothers Found Dead Near California Highway 3 Weeks After Going Missing: ‘Devastating Beyond Words’

NEED TO KNOW

• The bodies of James Fuller, 61, and his brother Eric, 60, were discovered by a wrecked vehicle near State Route 166 highway in California on June 25

• The pair were last seen heading out for a doctor’s appointment in Santa Maria on June 6, before family reported them missing

• “This is not the outcome we prayed for. Our hearts are broken,” a family member wrote on a GoFundMe page

The bodies of two brothers have been found three weeks after they were reported missing in California.

At around 3:00 p.m. local time on June 6, James Fuller, 61, and his brother Eric, 60, left Cuyama to drive to Santa Maria — a distance of around 130 miles — for a scheduled doctor’s appointment. They never arrived, and a missing persons report for the pair was filed by the family, which was subsequently shared in a post on Facebook.

“Since that day, neither of their phones has been reachable — all calls go straight to voicemail — and they have not been seen or heard from since,” James’ daughter Krystle Scott wrote. The men were traveling in a blue 1998 GMC two-door truck at the time.

At around 10:30 a.m. on June 25, a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) employee found an overturned vehicle “concealed in heavy brush in an embankment” with two men dead at the scene off State Route 166 near Old Sierra Madre Road, the Los Angeles Times and KSBY News reported, citing the California Highway Patrol.

According to a GoFundMe page, the family confirmed that Jame and Eric were the men who died at the scene. DNA testing is being carried out to officially confirm the identities of the bodies, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said, per L.A. Times.

“It is with unimaginable sadness that we share the search for James and Eric Fuller has come to an end. They were found yesterday morning deep in the canyon by Caltrans,” the family wrote. “For 21 long days, we searched tirelessly … [and] even received a message from someone who said they saw the truck near a sharp turn.”

“Still, without a pinpoint location, CHP was unable to search due to looking a few days prior with no luck … it’s been devastating beyond words. This is not the outcome any of us prayed for,” the family added. The page so far has raised $1,435 with a goal of reaching $10,000 to cover funeral costs.

The CHP carried out patrols and aerial searches for the Fuller brothers, as friends and family also helped to try and locate them, per San Francisco Bay Area News.

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James and Eric grew up in Pismo Beach and had a big family, per KSBY News. “They were very loved by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,” James’ daughter Scott told the outlet.

The crash appeared to be accidental, according to the sheriff’s office, KSBY News reported. An investigation into the incident is reportedly ongoing.

PEOPLE has reached out to the CHP and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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