Nineteen-year-old Andrew Elam was killed on June 17, 1989, in Cathedral City, California. He had been jogging with his parents in the San Jacinto Mountains but returned to the family car parked along Highway 74 near the Pacific Crest Trail; when his parents came back the vehicle had been broken into and Andrew was missing. His body was found about six hours later in a brushy area roughly a quarter mile from the trailhead. The medical examiner listed blunt force trauma to the head as his cause of death and no weapon was recovered at the scene.

Investigators reported the left rear tire of the family car had been punctured and several items were missing, including a purse, car keys, and a garage door opener, leading detectives to consider that Andrew may have interrupted a burglary in progress. The case remains unsolved; family members have kept the case active and detectives continue to review preserved evidence in hopes that technological advances might produce leads. If anyone has information, contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Homicide Hotline at (951) 955-2777.