DATE/TIME: November 3, 2022 / 3:13 p.m.
INCIDENT: Death Investigation
LOCATION: Stepladder Mountains – Bureau of Land Management, Needles
SUSPECT(S): Unknown
VICTIM(S): Jamal Middleton, 36-year-old Yucca Valley Resident
SUMMARY: On Thursday, November 3, 2022, at 3:13 p.m., deputies from the Needles Station responded to a report of a found dead body. When they arrived, they found human remains in the Stepladder Mountains wilderness area of Needles.
The Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division also responded and assumed the investigation. The remains were transported to the Coroner’s Office and the deceased was positively identified as Jamal Middleton. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. No further details are available for release.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4908. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to www.wetip.com.
Refer: Detective M. Young
Station: Specialized Investigations Division
Phone No. 909-890-4908
Case No. DR#102200441 H#2022-146
The Stepladder Mountains Wilderness now contains a total of 83,204 acres and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. All of the Wilderness is in the state of California. In 1994 the Stepladder Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. In an age of “…increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization,…” you play an important role in helping to “…secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness” as called for by Congress in the Wilderness Act of 1964. Please follow the regulations in place for this area, and use Leave No Trace techniques when visiting to ensure protection of its unique natural and experiential qualities.
