Body Found in Forest ID'd as Missing Veteran

The body that crews discovered east of Temecula Monday has been identified as a missing veteran.

Robert Cricks, 76, was found dead in a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest, almost two miles from his car, according to the medical examiner's office.

A search for Cricks started last week when his wife reported him missing. She said she had left him in the car with the engine running as she went into a McDonald's in Temecula.

She last saw her husband, who suffers from severe dementia, driving away in their Infiniti sedan.

Search and rescue crews spent the weekend looking for Cricks, and they discovered his car on Sunday about 45 minutes away from the Cal Fire station on 39400 De Luz Road.

The next day, someone found his body. The medical examiner has not listed his cause of death.

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