BIG BEAR: Hemet off-road motorcyclist found dead by hunters

November 7, 2016 Trevor Montgomery

BIG BEAR – Few details have been released after a Hemet resident’s body was discovered in the San Bernardino National Forest early Sunday morning. CHP officials who conducted an accident investigation believe the victim crashed into a tree while riding his dirt bike, according to a release from the San Bernardino County Coroner’s office.

The release indicated Joseph Zinck, 44, was found about 7:09 a.m. in the area of Crab Flats. The area where Zinck’s body was discovered is east of Lake Arrowhead and west of Big Bear, according to the news release. His body was found by deer hunters who happened upon the victim’s body and crashed motorcycle.

No one witnessed the crash or Zinck’s death, according to the coroner’s release.

Zinck grew up in Lake Elsinore and attended Elsinore Union High School before moving to Hemet.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal accident. Their investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone who has information about this investigation or who witnessed the fatal accident is encouraged to contact officials from the CHP Running Springs area station at (909) 867-2791. Callers can remain anonymous.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.

Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.