ESCONDIDO–Escondido police today announced at a news conference that the skeletal remains of missing Escondido teen Amber Dubois have been found in a rugged, remote area north of the Pala Indian Reservation.
Authorities say the skeletal remains were found Saturday morning after receiving a lead that led to Dubois’ body.
Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher didn’t release details of the lead, or any information on the discovery of the remains.
“I certainly had hoped that when the day came to do a press conference about Amber it would be under much different circumstances, but that was not to be,” said Maher.
Positive identification was made by the San Diego County medical examiner late Saturday afternoon by way of a dental records comparison. Amber’s parents Maurice Dubois and Carrie McGonigle were notified in person by Escondido and Sheriff’s investigators Saturday night.
“We like to thank everyone involved in the search for Amber. The entire community, everybody who helped out with the search effort, and above all our huge volunteer corps, they are the most dedicated people and without them we couldn’t have done anything,” Dubois said. After speaking to reporters, Dubois and McGonigle left the station.
The tragic news came almost one week after registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arraigned Wednesday in San Diego Superior Court on suspicion of rape and murder in the Feb. 25 death of 17-year-old Poway High School student Chelsea King.
“This is an ongoing murder investigation and any details, no matter how slight, would be inappropriate to reveal at this point in time,” he told reporters.
Authorities plan a news conference Monday to discuss further details on the murder of Amber.