California Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Latoya Stinson, South Sacramento, CA. Feb., 2019.

3/23/19
SOUTH SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Police are searching for a missing woman and the woman's family is also looking for answers.

Police confirm a missing persons' report was filed on February 20 for a woman named Latoya Stinson.

The woman's family says they are passing out flyers, and trying to figure out if anyone has seen her since she went missing.

"Honestly, since then, we haven't heard anything from the detectives or missing person," Racheal Stinson said. "We're out here doing our own investigations, and trying to figure out if the community can help us with this."

The woman's family said she was last seen in the area of 47th Avenue and Franklin Boulevard.

They also say she worked as a chef at Broderick Roadhouse in West Sacramento.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department.

fox40.com/2019/03/23/police-family-members-searching-for-missing-woman-last-seen-in-south-sacrame... ... See MoreSee Less

Police, Family Members Searching for Missing Woman Last Seen in South Sacramento

fox40.com

SOUTH SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Police are searching for a missing woman and the woman's family is also looking for answers. Police confirm a missing persons' report was filed on February 20 ...

1 day ago

California Lostnmissing

Still #Unidentified - possible trans woman. Man, age 19 to 25, San Mateo, CA. November 26, 1983.

3/22/19
A San Mateo 1983 cold case involving the murder of an unidentified possible trans woman has garnered renewed attention thanks to a Trans Doe Task Force at the DNA Doe Project.

On November 26, 1983, the remains of a man, age 19 to 25, dressed in female casual attire was found near Lower Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Because the identity of the victim is unknown, the Bay Area Reporter will use they/them pronouns to refer to them.

The victim, who was found within hours of their death, was reportedly stabbed, strangled, and had their wrists slit, according to Anthony Redgrave, DNA Doe Project team lead for the cold case. The nonprofit, all-volunteer organization uses genetic genealogy to identify unknown victims of homicides.

Last year, it introduced the Trans Doe Task Force, which focuses on trans and gender-nonconforming victims. It has released a new forensic image of the San Mateo victim, derived from their post-mortem pictures, and given them the name "Pillar Point Doe."

"It's a classic overkill of a trans person," Redgrave told the B.A.R. Friday. "We don't have any information on how the victim identifies, but are assuming they must have been a trans person based on the way they were dressed, modest clothing, but still tucking. They were wearing Capri pants, not dressed up for clubbing. We are assuming, but we can't know anything for certain until we know who they are."

The task force brought the case to the attention of the San Mateo County Sheriff's and coroner's offices, which it has partnered with since January on the case, along with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In the most recent San Mateo County newsletter circulated Thursday, March 22, it mentions the cold case and links to a post on San Mateo County's Facebook page.

"The San Mateo County Coroner's Office is hoping for a successful outcome with finally identifying and providing a name for this 35-year cold case homicide victim," read the March 20 post that said the image of the victim was produced by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as requested by the coroner's office (the B.A.R. featured that image in a front page August 8, 2002 story that had also sought the public's help in identifying the victim).

The social media post also claims that the victim "may have been transported to the location from the Tenderloin area of San Francisco." Redgrave said, however, that the detective working on the case has said there is no evidence to corroborate this.

According to the coroner's office website, the victim was a Caucasian male with short, brown hair and approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and 140 pounds. The clothing they were wearing included light, yellow knee-length "clam diggers," a light yellow jacket, a multicolored turtleneck T-shirt, black nylon net stockings, brown-colored pantyhose, blue, bikini-style underpants, beige-colored lace underpants, and a beige-colored bra and sponge "falsies." They were also wearing jewelry that included two white metal rings and a white metal necklace with a crucifix pendant.

Redgrave said there was a lot of trans-related violence during the 1980s and early 1990s and that the task force has a list of about 40 trans does from across the country that it is working to identify.

"As far as the investigation it seemed like it was treated as well as it could have been at the time, due largely to the coroner in the area having a very high interest in doe cases," Redgrave said. "It seemed to have been given more adequate care than I have seen in other places."

He also said that the San Mateo Sheriff's Office is "doing a really good job."

The San Mateo Coroner's and Sheriff's offices and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children could not be reached for comment before this article was posted.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the coroner's office at (650) 312-5562.

To view the 2002 B.A.R. article about the missing person, visit archive.org/details/BAR_20020808.

www.ebar.com/news/crime/273946?fbclid=IwAR0_kzg7Ia2TKE3m5l7ulgAm2PK-bLVa_REG6H9ZUltTm3BGfVT3k5tFSEQ ... See MoreSee Less

San Mateo trans cold case gets renewed attention after 35 years

ebar.com

A San Mateo 1983 cold case involving the murder of an unidentified possible trans woman has garnered renewed attention thanks to a Trans Doe Task Force at the DNA Doe Project.

1 day ago

California Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Noah McIntosh, 8, Corona, CA. March 5.

3/22/19
It’s been more than a month since anyone has seen 8-year-old Noah McIntosh even though his picture has been circulating on social media sites, news reports and police fliers.

The grinning boy pictured wearing a wolf-ear hat was reported missing March 5 by his mother, Jillian Godfrey, 36, of Corona. At that point, she told Corona police she hadn’t seen her son — who lives with his father, Bryce McIntosh, 32, also of Corona — for two weeks. Both have subsequently been arrested and charged with felony child endangerment.

Now Corona residents, who have been sharing his picture and notes of encouragement on Facebook and Twitter, have organized a candlelight vigil for the boy as police continue their search for Noah.

The vigil will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at Spyglass Park, 1790 Spyglass Drive. Participants are encouraged to wear blue.

Many residents have offered to help search for the boy, according to police, but authorities said last week that local, state and federal law enforcement are working the case, and there was no immediate need for more aid.

Jillian Godfrey called police March 5, asking them to check on her children — Noah and her 11-year-old daughter — who live with McIntosh at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Temescal Canyon Road, her father Doug Godfrey said in an interview.

Police search for evidence in field, at apartment where
His daughter became concerned when she was unable to reach McIntosh for her weekly visit with the children. Police did a welfare check but McIntosh did not respond to police efforts to reach him that day, officers said.

Police said when they obtained a search warrant for McIntosh’s apartment the following day, they found his 11-year-old daughter, but Noah was not there. Both parents were arrested that day.

Their arraignment was postponed Friday to April 8.

McIntosh is being held without bail and Jillian Godfrey in lieu of posting bond on $500,000 bail.

www.pe.com/2019/03/22/vigil-planned-in-corona-for-missing-8-year-old-noah-mcintosh-as-police-cont... ... See MoreSee Less

Vigil planned in Corona for missing 8-year-old Noah McIntosh as police continue search

pe.com

The vigil will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at Spyglass Park.

2 days ago

California Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Wesley Billingsly, 24, disappeared on June 12, 2018. San Diego, CA.

3/20/19
A Northern California woman has returned to San Diego in the hopes of finally getting answers after her 25-year-old son went missing in the area nine months ago.

Wesley Billingsly reportedly disappeared on June 12, 2018 when the then-24-year-old was staying with various friends in Pacific Beach.

“I try to keep hope, but nine months is a really long time,” said Wesley Billingsly’s mother, Christel Billingsly.

Christel Billingsly lives in Sacramento but returned to Pacific Beach after the San Diego Police Department found Wesley Billingsly’s black Ford Expedition abandoned on a city street in the South Bay.

Inside the truck, detectives discovered some of Wesley Billingsly’s personal belongings but the 25-year-old was nowhere to be found.

Mother Pleads for Help Finding Missing SonMother Pleads for Help Finding Missing Son

Police say the last time anyone heard from 24-year-old Wesley Billings ly was two weeks ago. Since then, no calls, texts or social media posts. NBC 7's Ashley Matthews spoke to his mother.(Published Monday, June 25, 2018)
Christel Billingsly has posted countless flyers all around Pacific Beach in search of answers, but SDPD has had little clues or leads in the case.

The mother told NBC 7 she’s worried people may be scared to come forward with information.

“They're maybe afraid to talk. I mean, maybe it's bad, and they don't want to get in trouble or be linked to a missing person. But this is my child. And he belongs to me and my family. And I would hope that they would think of their mom, or their brother, their uncle. It's just not okay,” Christel Billingsly said.

In August 2018, Christel Billingsly came to San Diego to celebrate her son’s birthday. At this time, she offered up a $3,000 reward for any information on Wesley Billingsly’s whereabouts.

“I was asking people to come forward out of the goodness of their hearts but I guess that doesn’t work, so I put money on it hoping someone would want the money and just tell me where he is,” Christel Billingsly told NBC 7 when she posted the reward. “I need to know what happened to him. Somebody knows.”

Mother Renews Plea for Information on Missing SonMother Renews Plea for Information on Missing Son

NBC 7's Ashley Matthews spoke to the mother who came back to San Diego to look for her son on his 25th birthday.

Since his disappearance, Wesley Billingsly hasn’t called, texted, or posted to social media, which his mother said is far from the norm.

“He’s never done this, and it’s now like he’s dropped off the face of the earth. And we’re searching for him. I don’t know where he is, but I need to know where my son is,” Christel Billingsly told NBC 7 back in June 2018.

Wesley Billingsly graduated from San Diego State University in 2016, according to his mother. After school, he moved back home to Sacramento for a short time before returning to San Diego. Christel Billingsly said San Diego had become Wesley's home and is where his heart is.

Anyone with information on Wesley Billingsly’s whereabouts is asked to contact SDPD at (619) 531-2277.

www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Wesley-Billingsly-Christel-Mother-Son-Search-Missing-Pacific-Beach... ... See MoreSee Less

Police Find Truck of PB Man Missing for Nine Months

nbcsandiego.com

A Northern California woman has returned to San Diego in the hopes of finally getting answers after her 25-year-old son went missing in the area nine months ago.

3 days ago

California Lostnmissing

Great news!

3/20/19
A 63-year-old man who apparently wandered off from an East County nursing home this week was found unharmed Wednesday about 20 miles away in a neighborhood near Otay Valley Regional Park.

Deputies tracked down Jose “Raul” Martinez at a motel in the 1000 block of Outer Road in San Diego shortly after 9:30 a.m., San Diego Sheriff‘s Lt. Christopher May said.

Martinez had been reported missing about 2 p.m. Tuesday by staffers at Edgemoor Hospital in Santee. He was considered at risk due to medical ailments of undisclosed nature and a tendency to become disoriented.

timesofsandiego.com/crime/2019/03/20/missing-man-from-east-county-nursing-home-found-20-miles-away/ ... See MoreSee Less

Missing Man from East County Nursing Home Found 20 Miles Away - Times of San Diego

timesofsandiego.com

A 63-year-old man who wandered off from an East County nursing home found unharmed Wednesday 20 miles away near Otay Valley Regional Park.

3 days ago

California Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Tracy Avilez, 45, San Bruno, CA. September, 2018.

3/20/19
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The family of a 45-year-old Bay Area woman who disappeared six months ago is asking the public for help finding the mother of three.

San Bruno police are investigating the disappearance of Tracy Avilez, whose family and friends have not seen or heard from her since last September.

“This is uncharacteristic for Tracy to have zero contact with anyone,’’ said her sister Nicole Hamilton of Petaluma.

Friends of Avilez’s reported her missing to San Bruno police about a week after she disappeared on Sept. 18. Her family has since been working with police on the search for her, said Hamilton.

“Although my sister Tracy had recently fallen on hard times and had been staying with friends, she remained in constant contact with her oldest son and her youngest daughter,’’ Hamilton said. “For her to simply vanish without so much as a word to either of them is completely uncharacteristic of her. We are worried for her safety.”

Hamilton said she and her family have spoken to people who have “not been truthful” about Avilez’s whereabouts.

“Some have claimed to have heard dark rumors about Tracy’s fate, yet those rumors were investigated by police and have been unsubstantiated,’’ she said.

San Bruno police Lt. Ryan Johansen confirmed investigators have checked those rumors and other potential tips about the woman’s whereabouts.

“Through her social group, people have said bad things have happened to her, but there’s never been anything concrete, it was just rumor-mill type stuff,’’ he said.

Johansen said an investigator traced Avilez’s last cell phone activity to an area in East San Bruno on Sept. 18.

The trace area is within the radius of Lions Field on 1st Avenue and a nearby Jack In The Box fast food restaurant, two places Avilez may have visited that day, her sister said.

Johansen said people have also reported seeing Avilez since she disappeared.

“We have had a number of reports of sightings by people who didn’t know her, and so far those have all checked negative,’’ he said.

Investigators also checked her banking and social media records over the last six months and there has been no activity, Johansen said.

Hamilton said she did not know what Avilez was doing in the days leading up to her disappearance, other than a phone call the woman had with her son.

“They said they would talk in a week or two and she never ever called again, and hasn't still,’’ Hamilton said.

Avilez does not have a permanent address and had been staying recently with various friends. She is known to frequent South San Francisco, Millbrae, Burlingame, San Mateo, Palo Alto, Redwood City as well as San Francisco.

Avilez has green eyes, long hair, which is sometimes blonde and sometimes light brown, and multiple distinctive tattoos, including a sunflower on her upper left arm, a “sleeve” of tattoos her right arm, and a sun tattoo near her neckline. She is about 5 foot 7, and very slender, Hamilton said.

Anyone with information about Avilez is asked to call San Bruno police at 650-616-7100. Anonymous tips can be emailed to sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov.

www.ktvu.com/news/family-searching-for-missing-san-bruno-mother-who-disappeared-six-months-ago ... See MoreSee Less

Family searching for missing San Bruno mother who disappeared six months ago

ktvu.com

The family of a 45-year-old Bay Area woman who disappeared six months ago is asking the public for help finding the mother of three. 

3 days ago

California Lostnmissing

Our condolencesto the loved-ones of Matilda Ortiz.
Rest in peace, sweet-girl.

3/20/19
STANISLAUS COUNTY -- The body of a 5-year-old girl who slipped and fell into the Stanislaus River Sunday has been located, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

In slowly receding waters, volunteer divers found Matilda Ortiz just before 5 p.m. two feet under the surface and tangled in debris.

"She's beautiful. She's the same way, the same way I seen her. She's the same way, she's the same way,” said Matilda’s aunt, Melissa Naranjo. "It's like she was still ... it's like she was still here."

The aunt of little Matilda recounted the moment she saw her niece's body once it was found three days after the girl slipped on some rocks and fell into the Stanislaus River.

Each hour of the desperate search for the 5-year-old was hampered by the rain-swollen condition of the river near the Knight's Ferry Campground in Oakdale.

The swift, deep current hid hazards that dumped one firefighter into the water Wednesday morning.

"The firefighter was OK, thankfully, yeah, but the boat capsized," said Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Letras.

Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputies worked with operators of the New Melones Dam for days to drop levels in the river by regulating flows. Recovery teams thought their best search window would actually come Thursday morning as it hit its lowest point.

"2,000 cubic foot per second and the water on Monday was running at 4,200,” Letras explained.

Rescue personnel, like everyone else, wanted to see Matilda again -- alive.

"We're grateful that we were able to recover her but that's not the way we wanted to have it done," Letras said.

Now, a family will have to come to grips with how a weekend trip to enjoy the beautiful weather and just dip toes into the water could come to such a devastating end.

"We wanted to find her,” said Matilda’s aunt, Letty. "We wanted her back. Thank you, everybody, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

fox40.com/2019/03/20/body-found-in-stanislaus-river-sheriffs-department-says/ ... See MoreSee Less

5-Year-Old’s Body Found in Stanislaus River, Sheriff’s Department Says

fox40.com

STANISLAUS COUNTY -- The body of a 5-year-old girl who slipped and fell into the Stanislaus River Sunday has been located, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department. In slowly reced...

3 days ago

California Lostnmissing

#Missing Agustin Cerda, 66, from Avocado Post Acute Skilled Nursing Facility, El Cajon, CA. March 4.

3/20/19
EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - A man with dementia and schizophrenia has been missing from an El Cajon nursing facility for two weeks, and the family needs your help locating him.

Sixty-six-year-old Agustin Cerda walked away from Avocado Post Acute Skilled Nursing Facility on March 4th and never returned.

His family says he was allowed to leave the facility.

Now they’ve posted flyers around the city in hopes that someone will recognize him and call police.

They’ve also put his picture on Facebook and received over 200 shares.

Cerda’s niece Aly Cerda said, “He may be sleeping on the streets, and we have a large homeless population so he can be anywhere. So it’s hard to say where to look next, but we’re going to keep our efforts in place to make sure he’s found safe.”

Cerda had gone missing twice before but was found in Tijuana the next day at his brother’s house.

If you see him, Aly asks that you call the police and not try to approach him because he has mental issues.

www.10news.com/news/local-news/man-missing-from-el-cajon-nursing-facility-needs-your-help-finding... ... See MoreSee Less

Man missing from El Cajon nursing facility needs your help finding him.

10news.com

Man missing from El Cajon nursing facility needs your help finding him

4 days ago

California Lostnmissing

3/19/19
LOS ANGELES — Authorities think that scammers calling wealthy Southern Californians to demand thousands of dollars in exchange for the return of children who they falsely claim have been kidnapped have roots in Mexico, specifically in Mexican prisons.

Law enforcement sources familiar with the crime told NBC News that suspects are becoming more sophisticated as they evolve from using Spanish and targeting immigrants in the United States to using English and dialing up targets in gilded communities like California's Beverly Hills and Laguna Beach.

The bureau is investigating two recent cases of "virtual kidnapping" in Laguna Beach.

"We do believe that phone calls are coming from out of the country, including Mexico, and that money transfers have been sent out of the country," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Police in Laguna Beach said scammers struck in their city, where the median asking price for a home is $2.9 million, on March 7 and 8.

Calls were received by unconnected Laguna Beach parents within a 24-hour period, Sgt. Jim Cota of the Laguna Beach Police Department said. In both cases, the parents thought the callers were being truthful when they said that their children had been kidnapped and would be released only if a ransom was paid.

Police were able to stop one victim — authorities did not identify the parents —who was driving to a Costa Mesa retailer to wire money to Mexico, Cota said.

The move saved the parent $6,000.

Police think the most recent scammers were sending victims to the same place, a Costa Mesa storefront where remittances to Mexico can be made.

The other victim was out $5,000 after making a cash withdrawal from a bank and then making the half-hour drive to Costa Mesa, Cota said.

Police issue 'virtual kidnap' alerts to California schools
Kathie Gross told NBC News she received such a call an hour after dropping her daughter off at school recently. The voice on the other end sounded like her daughter, Gross said: "She said, 'Mom they took me in a van. I don't know where I am.' I was speechless."

Gross thinks that when she uttered the name of her daughter, the scammers took note and subsequently used it — one reason authorities warn not to engage with the suspects.

Gross said she soon found her daughter safe at school.

Authorities think that suspects use social media to gather information about potential targets.

Federal law enforcement sources say hundreds of virtual kidnapping are reported each year, with many if not most of the victims residing in Southern California. The crime is heavily underreported, however, they say.

In some cases, investigators believe, the callers are Mexican prisoners, some of whom may have spent in the United States. Laguna Beach police investigated a case last year in which the suspect, Cota said, sounded like a convict.

Image: Laguna Beach, CaliforniaPedestrians walk along Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, CA on March 4, 2019.Paul Bersebach / Orange County Register/SCNG file
"One of our detectives in 2018 actually got on the phone with one of these guys and said he sounded like a hardened criminal," he said. "He had some choice words for us — in English."

In September a federal judge in Houston sentenced 35-year-old Yanette Rodriguez Acosta to more than seven years behind bars for her role in a virtual kidnapping scam.

Prosecutors said Acosta's victims were told their children would be assaulted, raped and murdered if they didn't stay on the line, drive to a bank and then head to a Western Union or MoneyGram location to wire money in exchange for their child's release.

Police urge people who receive a ransom call to contact police as soon as possible.

"Hang up a phone and drive to the police department and let them know what just occurred," Cota said.

www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/virtual-kidnapping-calls-may-be-coming-mexico-u-s-officials-n98... ... See MoreSee Less

U.S. 'virtual kidnapping' investigation focuses on Mexico

nbcnews.com

In the scam, parents are falsely told their children have been kidnapped and won't be returned until a ransom has been paid.

5 days ago

California Lostnmissing shared a post.

Update ... See MoreSee Less

California Lostnmissing

Great news!

Authorities have confirmed that Shastina Hepburn was found safe in Oregon on Tuesday.

Missing Shastina Hepburn, 33, Red Bluff, CA.
March 5, 2019. May be in OR.

3/18/19
RED BLUFF, Cal...

5 days ago

California Lostnmissing

#StillMissing Noah McIntosh, 8. Corona, CA

3/19/19
Investigators searching for evidence in the weekslong disappearance of an 8-year-old boy in Corona returned to the child’s home with a plumber on Tuesday.

Authorities did not say why they brought the plumber or what it was they were looking for in the home.

Noah McIntosh, who lived at the Encanto Apartment Homes in the 4500 block of Temescal Canyon Road, was last seen about three weeks ago.

McIntosh was never reported missing in that time and his disappearance was only brought to the attention of authorities last week when police were called and asked to do a welfare check on the boy.

The boy’s mother, Jillian Godfrey, was the one who called police because McIntosh’s father, Bryce McIntosh, would not allow her to see him, according to her parents.

Authorities entered the home after getting a search warrant but were unable to locate Noah McIntosh.

Bryce McIntosh and Godfrey were both arrested on suspicion of child cruelty linked to an incident that occurred in February.

Authorities have not given any details about what happened in that incident.

ktla.com/2019/03/19/plumber-joins-investigators-in-search-for-evidence-at-missing-8-year-old-boys... ... See MoreSee Less

Plumber Joins Investigators in Search for Evidence at Missing 8-Year-Old Boy’s Corona Home

ktla.com

5 days ago