Search over for missing Pinyon Pines woman found dead this weekend

8-24-2016 Update : The woman found dead in Mountain Center this weekend was missing 71-year old Josephene Youssef says Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Her body was discovered by a hiker on Saturday about 8:40 a.m. on a trail near Ribbonwood Drive, Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Mike Vasquez said. The Coroner’s Office confirmed it was Youssef after conducting an autopsy this week.

UPDATE: 6:19 p.m.

Open arms and a big heart.

That’s how Dahlia Ghaly described her mother, 71-year-old Josephene Youssef.

“She was always there for me,” Ghaly said. “She’s a very good person. More than you could imagine.”

But Ghaly said Thursday marked exactly one month since the Pinyon Pines woman disappeared after going for a walk.

“It was really hot that day,” Ghaly said. “It was one of the hottest days. There was the impression that she would come back and cook. She just took the food out to prepare it, and then she disappeared.”

Since then, first responders held large-scale searches both in the air and on the ground.

After officials searched the area, Ghaly said her mom may still be out there.

“I think it was a hot day, she had gone walking for a bit, she was tired, and maybe she reached out for someone to take her, and she rode with the wrong person,” Ghaly said.

But Ghaly and her family are continuing to search, even taking it to social media after creating a Facebook page for her mother.

“I know that social media can go viral,” Ghaly said. “And anyone who would try to help, they get familiar with the face. With human nature, they want to help you. But they just need to know that something is going on.”

As Ghaly and other family members hope to see Youssef come home.

“I feel that she’s ok, and I will find her,” Ghaly said. “I feel that I need someone to help me locate her. But I have a feeling she’s ok and she’s alive.”

Family members said Youssef suffers from dementia and only speaks Arabic.

If you have any information Youssef, you’re asked to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

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ORIGINAL STORY: 2:24 p.m.

It’s been one month since 71-year-old Josephene Youssef of Pinyon Pines was last seen. Although the county discontinued large-scale search efforts for the woman on June 11, Youssef’s family is holding on to hope as they continue to look for any clues to her whereabouts.

Youssef was reported missing on June 7. Her family created a Facebook page to reach out to the community for help, which they’re hoping will come soon, as the one-month anniversary of her disappearance has now arrived.

Zak Dahlheimer met with Youssef’s daughter on Thursday and he will have updates on the the family’s search efforts on CBS Local 2 at 5:30 p.m. and on KESQ News Channel 3 at 6 p.m.

According to Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Mike Vasquez, authorities are still using search and rescue teams to attempt to locate Youssef, but they’re also asking the public’s help.

Her family says Youssef suffers from dementia and only speaks Arabic. Investigators said Youssef often takes walks from her home, but she never returned that day.

She’s believed to be missing in the mountains, south of Palm Desert.

Her daughter told us that she believes her mother may have been taken while she was out on her walk. Hear more from Youssef’s family and more about the ways you can help with the search efforts, Thursday night in our live reports.