Where it all started: Jin Fang, 47, corresponded with John Root Fitzpatrick, 52, on the internet for six months before she flew to Los Angeles on July 14, 2023. Fitzpatrick, a Morongo Valley resident, was hired to be her tour guide. “Fitzpatrick was hired to be Jin’s tour guide of the Morongo Basin area,” said Officer Gloria Huerta of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, as per the Hi-Desert Star.