Auto wreckage found along Highway 180 between Grant Grove and Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon National Park might be connected with the disappearance of a young couple missing since August 6/NPS

A young couple planning to tour Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite national parks might have perished on their way to Kings Canyon in a crash off the steep and winding Highway 180.

An attentive sheriff's deputy, watching a news story about efforts to recover a red car that crashed off the highway back in July, noticed a license plate in the roadside brush that authorities were able to trace to a car driven by Jie Song and Yinan Wang. The two have been missing since August 6. They were last seen at the junction of Crystal Cave Road and the Generals Highway in Sequoia National Park after attending a Crystal Cave Tour. They intended to continue north to Kings Canyon National Park, stay the night in Fresno, and had reservations in Yosemite National Park on Monday, August 7. They did not show up for their Yosemite reservation.

The Fresno County (Calif) Sheriff's Office on Sunday issued a press release with the latest development in the mystery.

"Information about the license plate and vehicle parts found in the area was relayed to the California Highway Patrol so it could create an investigative report. After getting the missing persons report three days later, the connection between Wang, Song and the car became apparent to both agencies," the release said. "On August 12th, the Sheriff’s Office and (California Highway Patrol) both flew their helicopters above the canyon where the red car remains in the river to see if there are any signs of a white car.

"Deputies and officers found some vehicle parts in the water about 40 yards upstream from the red car. At this point, we are unable to determine if the parts belong to the white Ford Focus," the release added. "Members of SAR will have to retrieve the parts before drawing any conclusions. No additional bodies have been found in the water. National Park Service rangers continue to check their parks for Wang and Song. SAR is now working a parallel investigation involving the Ford Focus as they continue their efforts to developing a plan to recover the red car belonging to the Thai students."

The Thai students, whose bodies have not been recovered, were attending the University of South Florida. Their car went off Highway 180 and into the South Fork of Kings River about halfway between Cedar Grove and Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park in late July.