In 1996 a family of four from Dresden, Germany went missing in Death Valley.
With very little water and food in their rented Pymouth Voyager Van, they
tried
driving down a road marked clearly as a " 4 wheel drive only" that would
take them over the Panamints and through
Megel pass. Two children were with the couple, they were age 4 and 10.
This was in summer of 1996 with summer temperatures ranging from
120 to 124 degress.
They were never seen again.
An extensive search coordinated by the Nevada Division of Investigation had
turned up no hints as to the travelers' whereabouts since their car was
found abandoned with three flat tires in a ravine off Anvil Spring Canyon in
late October.
In November and December 2009 bones have been found in Goler Wash which
would seem to
solve the mystery.
It doesn't take too many poor decisions in that kind of climate before the
desert exacts
a tragic price.

http://news.aol.com/article/death-valley-bones-may-solve-mystery-of/766810