Sierra LaMar case: Red VW linked to missing teen
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Authorities are seeking a car similar to this red 1990s Volkswagen Jetta, but with a black hood.
View Larger Images
A red Volkswagen Jetta with a black hood is associated with the disappearance of Sierra LaMar, the 15-year-old South Bay girl who has been missing since March, Santa Clara County sheriff's investigators said Monday.
Authorities released a photo of a red 1990s, four-door Jetta, which they said resembles the one they are looking for. Unlike the car in the photo, the one being sought has a black hood, investigators said.
Sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said investigators had focused on the car from witnesses' descriptions and by viewing surveillance video from homes, businesses and buses in Sierra's neighborhood.
The Jetta was seen in the general area of where Sierra lives near Morgan Hill and where her belongings were found after she vanished, said Cardoza, who declined to elaborate.
Her mother, Marlene LaMar, said she last saw Sierra at home about 6 a.m. March 16 before the girl was to leave to catch a bus to school at nearby Palm and Dougherty avenues.
A day later, search teams found her cell phone off the side of the road near Santa Teresa Boulevard and Scheller Avenue, in the opposite direction of the bus stop. The day after that, they found her Juicy Couture-brand purse near Santa Teresa and Laguna Avenue, a short distance from where her phone was found.
Inside were a neatly folded pair of pants, undergarments and gray San Jose Sharks sweatshirt her family believes she may have been wearing the day she disappeared, authorities said.
Also found near the bag were Sierra's schoolbooks, Sheriff Laurie Smith said. The purse and books were "wedged between a building and a big cactus" or bush, Smith said.
Dive teams have searched several reservoirs as well as smaller percolation ponds in the Morgan Hill area.
The sheriff's office also said Monday that an empty handcuff box and used condoms found within 2 miles of the teenager's home were not related to Sierra's disappearance. Investigators had initially thought there might be a connection when the items were found March 29.
Sierra is 5 feet 2 inches tall with a thin build, dark hair and an olive complexion.
Authorities released a photo of a red 1990s, four-door Jetta, which they said resembles the one they are looking for. Unlike the car in the photo, the one being sought has a black hood, investigators said.
Sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said investigators had focused on the car from witnesses' descriptions and by viewing surveillance video from homes, businesses and buses in Sierra's neighborhood.
The Jetta was seen in the general area of where Sierra lives near Morgan Hill and where her belongings were found after she vanished, said Cardoza, who declined to elaborate.
Her mother, Marlene LaMar, said she last saw Sierra at home about 6 a.m. March 16 before the girl was to leave to catch a bus to school at nearby Palm and Dougherty avenues.
A day later, search teams found her cell phone off the side of the road near Santa Teresa Boulevard and Scheller Avenue, in the opposite direction of the bus stop. The day after that, they found her Juicy Couture-brand purse near Santa Teresa and Laguna Avenue, a short distance from where her phone was found.
Inside were a neatly folded pair of pants, undergarments and gray San Jose Sharks sweatshirt her family believes she may have been wearing the day she disappeared, authorities said.
Also found near the bag were Sierra's schoolbooks, Sheriff Laurie Smith said. The purse and books were "wedged between a building and a big cactus" or bush, Smith said.
Dive teams have searched several reservoirs as well as smaller percolation ponds in the Morgan Hill area.
The sheriff's office also said Monday that an empty handcuff box and used condoms found within 2 miles of the teenager's home were not related to Sierra's disappearance. Investigators had initially thought there might be a connection when the items were found March 29.
Sierra is 5 feet 2 inches tall with a thin build, dark hair and an olive complexion.
How to help
Anyone with information on Sierra LaMar is asked to call sheriff's investigators at (408) 808-4500 or an anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431, or text (408) 421-6760. People can also e-mail the sheriff's office at tips@sheriff.sccgov.org, or find more information on the Facebook page Find Sierra LaMar.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Twitter: @henryklee. hlee@sfchronicle.com
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/07/BADD1OEFRN.DTL#ixzz1vc3C0D3T
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন