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Missing men found dead in truck in rural San Luis Obispo County

June 28, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Nearly three weeks after two men died in a crash on Highway 166 in San Luis Obispo County, officers found their truck and bodies.

On June 6, James Fuller, 61, and his brother Eric Fuller, 60, left New Cuyama on their way to a doctor’s appointment in Santa Maria, but they never arrived. Family and friends reported the men missing on June 10.

“We have filed a missing person’s report with the local sheriff’s department, yet we’ve been told there is not enough ‘probable cause’ to classify them as at risk missing person, despite the fact that my father is terminally ill and in need of medical care,” according to a family member’s Facebook post. “We also requested air patrol over Highway 166, a remote and potentially dangerous route, but were informed that further evidence is needed to justify an aerial search.”

On June 18, as part of a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office investigation, California
Highway Patrol units and a fixed-wing aircraft were deployed along State Route 166 near New Cuyama in an attempt to find the missing men. Despite extensive search efforts,
neither the men nor the vehicle were located at that time.

On June 25, a Caltrans employee was conducting routine duties along State Route 166 near mile post marker 39 when they discovered an overturned vehicle concealed in heavy brush down an embankment. The truck was not visible from the roadway.

Emergency personnel discovered that two adult males sustained fatal injuries
in the crash. Identification of the decedents is pending confirmation by the San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office.

The vehicle involved in this crash is linked to the missing persons investigation.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that two individuals tragically lost their lives in a traffic crash,” according to the CHP Commander Sean Kelly. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their families and loved ones during this difficult time.”

 


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Jim was a great plumber and will be missed. I’m so sorry for his family and friends!


13

Jim Fuller was a great man and plumber! So sorry for his family and friends!


9

3 weeks later, “officers found their truck and bodies”. No, it was Caltrans employee who found their bodies, after the Sheriff’s Department told the family there was no probably cause to conduct a search.


6

A second search. An initial search was done, as reported above.


-5

I’d be a bit upset if law enforcement didn’t look for my loved ones if they went missing. I hope they didn’t die in the truck while people should have been rescuing them. I smell a lawsuit coming.


-3

I dont agree with a lawsuit but a decent mini drone does cost under 300 bucks :/


7

They used a fixed winged, manned, maxi-drone, that cost over $300,000.


0

No they didn’t!


-1

Did you read the article at all? Ground and air assets were utilized, to no avail. That section of 166, butts up against the river, which is heavily overgrown with brush and grasses. Since nobody knew where they disappeared on the highway, I imagine the entirety of the road, from the 101 to I-5 was searched.


Sometimes, shit just happens.


4

Did YOU read the article at all is the question lol. Reported missing on the 10th and nothing was done until the 18th. Regardless a giant fixed wing aircraft is the wrong choice for exactly the reasons you pointed out. A hobby drone could easily go where that “$300,000” plane could not. Even if they had to drive and fly sections of the highway at a time it wouldn’t take but a day :/


Sometimes, “shit” doesn’t have to happen at all, fyi.


10

Pipe down. We’re talking about 50 miles of highway through rugged, remote terrain. Resources are limited. Perhaps you should apply to the Sherriff’s department and then tell them how to do their job. I’m sure they would all be in awe of your drone expertise.


5