YUBA CITY, Calif. — Two people who've been missing since Aug. 7 were found dead near a car Wednesday evening.
The woman was identified as 29-year-old Janette Pantoja. The man was tentatively identified as 36-year-old Juan Almanza Zavala, the Yuba City Police Department and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a joint statement.
The car was found on Highway 20 and Poker Flats Road after someone called the Gridley Police Department reporting a crash. There were skid marks on the shoulder of the highway and the car was covered in brush, making it hard to see from the highway.
California Highway Patrol and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and found both people outside the car. CHP is investigating the crash.
Zavala and Pantoja told their families they were going to Hot August Nights in Reno Nevada, which is a classic car event. They were planning to return on the night of Aug. 7.
Zavala's family reported him missing to the Yuba City Police Department and Pantoja's family reported her missing to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.
Law enforcement used cell phone information to try to locate the couple in rural Nevada County and searched the area where their phones were last located, but could not find the car.
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