Missing Tulare County mother of four found dead near U.S.-Mexico border

A missing Tulare County mother of four has been found dead near the border of Mexico, and her estranged boyfriend is suspected in her death, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

Brittney Steenbergen’s body was found on New Year’s Day in a rural part of Imperial County and a positive identification was made on Friday, the sheriff’s office said.

Local, state and federal authorities are still looking for Adel Hussein, who lived with Steenbergen and was the father of her children. He was last seen in the Tipton area around 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Hussein’s car, a dark blue Toyota RAV4, was found Friday abandoned in El Centro, in Imperial County, the sheriff’s office said. Hussein is still missing.

Deputies were first alerted to Steenbergen’s disappearance after one of her children called 911 to report her parents missing around 4:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Detectives learned when they arrived at the home in Plainview that a domestic violence incident had taken place before the two left the home.

Hussein is described as 5-foot-4, 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray hat with a “B” on it, black jacket, blue jeans and black shoes. He was driving a 2007 Toyota RAV4 with the license plate 5XNS883.

Anyone who knows where Hussein is should call the Sheriff’s Office at 559-733-6218 or report anonymously at tcso@tipnow.com or by text or voicemail at 559-725-4194.

This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 1:38 PM.