Missing Man Found Dead, Wife Hospitalized After Their RV Is Discovered in Remote Area of Nevada

Nine days after Ronnie and Beverly Baker were last seen in their RV while driving through Nevada, the missing Indiana woman was found alive on Tuesday. Although family members say Beverly is "doing okay," her husband has died.

Ronnie, 72, and Beverly, 69, were located in a "remote mountain area of Esmeralda County near Silver Peak, Nevada," Tuesday afternoon, the Esmeralda Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"It was determined that Ronnie had passed away. Beverly was alive and in good spirits considering what took place," police wrote, noting that she was airlifted out of the area and eventually taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno.

The discovery came hours after authorities were able to locate their RV around 11:30 a.m. "Due to the remote area where the motorhome was located it took several hours for these teams to reach it," police wrote, adding that upon their arrival, they discovered that "the motorhome appeared to be stuck."

"After a search of the motorhome, it was determined foul play was not involved," police wrote. Search and rescue teams were then "able to locate and follow the tire tracks" from the couple's car, which they found alongside the couple about 2 miles away.

"Everyone involved would like to give condolences to the family of Ronnie and Beverly Barker. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during these trying times," police added.

Facebook Beverly and Ronnie Barker

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Ronnie, who had a passion for travel, was on a trip from Oregon to Arizona with his wife when they went missing, according to WTHR.

Loved ones told CBS affiliate KLAS-TV that the couple left Oregon on March 26 and were planning to reach Tucson by March 29 to meet up with friends.

Facebook Ronnie and Beverly Barker

The couple never made it to the campground where they planned to spend the night before driving to Tucson, the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office said, according to KOLD-TV.

Their RV was last seen driving on Highway 95 in the desert on the evening of March 27, per WTHR. The following morning, the last recorded ping from their phone was recorded in the Coaldale area, the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

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Before they were found, the couple's family struggled to make sense of what happened.

"It's all flat. It's all desert. So where did they go? Where did they go?" daughter Jennifer Whaley, who said her parents had health issues, told WTHR. "They're out in the middle of the desert. You can see for miles and a 32-foot RV, towing a car, literally vanishes into thin air. Where did they go?"

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Travis Peters, a nephew of the couple, mourned Ronnie's death while speaking with KVVU-TV.

"Ronnie no longer being alive in this family is a hole, and its never going to be filled … he's just a bigger-than-life personality," Peters told the outlet, noting that the family is still waiting to find out what happened.

"Thank God that Beverly is alive, because she will be able to fill in those blanks that we don't know. Why did they go up the mountain? What happened?" Peters said. "She's going to be able to tell us."