Sierra LaMar Case Information

[LadyBlue]

California police are searching the cellphone records of Sierra LaMar, a high school student last seen when she left home on Friday morning.

The phone turned up on the side of the road near Sierra's home, but cops admitted they've found little other evidence related to her disappearance.

The sophomore was last seen around 6 a.m. when she left home for classes. The bus driver handling the route where she usually got picked up said he didn't see her, according to Fox News. Police dogs sniffing for her scent couldn't find it any farther from her home than the end of her driveway, Fox reported.

Her mother learned the teenager was missing when she got a message from the school's automated attendance system at 6 p.m.

To help with the search, police deployed a helicopter over the weekend, but there wasn't much payoff from the air power.

LaMar is 5-feet-2-inches tall and was carrying a black-and-pink Juicy bag when she vanished.

Cops are going through the former cheerleader's cellphone records and laptop for clues, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jose Cardoza said, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Her Facebook and Twitter accounts are of interest, because a runaway teen might reveal or hint at their plans.

Her parents don't think their daughter ran away, but police were exploring that possibility.

There's no sign yet of foul play, so police are treating this as a missing person case, ABC News reported.

But still, police widened their investigation. On Monday, they announced they'd interview known sex offenders living in the area, according to the Morgan Hill Times.

LaMar's parents are divorced, but police told ABC that her father and mother have been cooperative. LaMar lives with her mom, while her dad lives in Fremont. LaMar lived in Fremont and was a cheerleader there, before she moved to Morgan Hill in October.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts can call the Sheriff's Office at 408-299-2311 or 408-808-4500, or the anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/20/sierra-lamar-missing-cellphone-searched_n_1367618.html

[LadyBlue]

Late Monday night, ABC7 learned that Sierra's father, Steve LaMar, is a registered sex offender who lives in Fremont. He is listed under Megan's Law and was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, stemming from a case a number of years ago. We don't know if this detail has anything to do with this missing person case. LaMar claims he is innocent in the disappearance of his daughter.
abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=8586615

[LadyBlue]

Sheriff's office: Bag, clothes belonging to missing Morgan Hill girl found

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Thursday morning disclosed they have found a bag, T-shirt and pants belonging Sierra LaMar, the 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl who disappeared while on her way to school Friday.

Sgt. Jose Cardoza said a Juicy bag was found at 1 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Laguna Avenue. Inside the bag was a neatly folded pair of pants and a T-shirt.

Cardoza said investigators could not confirm if the clothes were worn by Sierra at the time she disappeared. There wasn't any forensic evidence on the clothing that would lead them to a person of interest, he said.

Cardoza also said the information was not released until they confirmed the bag and clothing was Sierra's and investigators did follow-up work.

Saturday, Sierra's Samsung Galaxy cell phone was found in a field about three-quarters of a mile from her home.

Cardoza said the last time Sierra appears to have used the cell phone 7:11 a.m. Friday when she sent a text message to a friend. He described it as a normal text between friends.

Sierra would usually walk from her home to a nearby bus stop to catch a bus at about 7:20 a.m.

Meanwhile, the sheriff's volunteer search and rescue team is conducting a more thorough search of within a three-mile radius of Sierra's home for any evidence, such as a weapon, clothing or tire tracks. Five search dogs are also participating in the effort.

Cardoza said the case is still being treated as a missing person's case because there is no evidence of an abduction or that she ran away.
www.mercurynews.com/ci_20231729/sheriffs-office-bag-clothes-belonging-missing-morgan-hill

[LadyBlue]

Sierra LaMar's Purse, Clothing Found

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they found the purse and some clothing of missing Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar.

The items were found Sunday at 1 p.m. near the intersection of Laguna and Santa Teresa in Morgan Hill. That is about two miles from the girl's home. They were off to the side of the road as if tossed from a vehicle. Her cell phone was found a day earlier, on Saturday, at the nearby intersection of Scheller and Santa Teresa. It was also off the roadway as if tossed.
www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Clue-Found-in-Sierra-Lamar-Disappearance-143815416.html

[LadyBlue]

Investigators say Morgan Hill girl Sierra LaMar, 15, likely abducted, didn't run away

It's something Sierra LaMar's family already knew deep in their hearts, but on Tuesday, investigators said for the first time they suspect the 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl who disappeared on her way to a bus stop is no runaway.

For 11 days, the search for Sierra -- which included nearly 600 volunteers scouring the pastures and gullies of Coyote Valley on Tuesday -- had been classified merely as a missing persons case. On Tuesday, however, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said detectives are now "concentrating their investigative efforts" on an abduction.

Although they have no new evidence or leads, investigators believe after interviewing nearly 100 of Sierra's relatives and friends that "there's nothing indicating she would have run away from the house. She had no issues at home and never mentioned she was going to run away," Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. "She's possibly out there as an 'involuntary taking.' "

Sierra's 21-year-old sister, Danielle LaMar, said she never believed Sierra ran away when she disappeared the morning of March 16.

"Obviously, I would rather have her run away," Danielle LaMar said Tuesday. "That would mean she's at least not being held against her will."

The sisters were close and talked about everything. But still, she had a sinking feeling the next day when searchers discovered Sierra's cellphone in a field not far from her home. The day after that, Sierra's Juicy-brand bag was found in another field not far away. Both appeared to be throwing distance from the road.

"Once the cellphone and purse were found, I knew," Danielle LaMar said. "It hit me then it was a lot more serious."

"We're all moms," said Nancy Bettencourt, 50, of Morgan Hill. "If, God forbid, it was one of us, we would hope people would show up to help."

One woman in a wheelchair arrived to help.

"I can't help too much on the foot search, but I came down to see what I could do," said Karah Silacci, 37, of Gilroy. "I have a daughter in high school. I can't imagine if I didn't know where she was."

Their instructions were sobering.

Keep an eye out for "female clothing, duct tape, zip ties or rope, anything used


View larger mapto hide evidence or contain someone," said Brad Dennis, director of search operations for the KlaasKids Foundation, the nonprofit run by Marc Klaas, whose daughter, Polly, was kidnapped in 1994. "If you see something, back away. If you find Sierra, you back away. It's a crime scene."

The search continues through Sunday, beginning each morning at 8. Volunteers should report to Burnett Elementary School, at 85 Tilton Ave., off Monterey Highway, a couple of miles from Sierra's home.

The family also established a reward fund for clues leading to Sierra's discovery, and to help offset the search cost, with more than $2,500 already raised the first day. Checks can be made payable to the Sierra LaMar Fund at any Chase Bank, or at tinyurl.com/sierralamar.
www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_20265290/hundreds-gather-morgan-hill-sierra-lamar-search?source=pkg

[LadyBlue]

Volunteers, including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and other members of the team, were out again Saturday to look for clues to the whereabouts of Sierra LaMar, the 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl who has been missing for three weeks.

Smith, who took part in a similar search last weekend, and several other 49ers players were among the dozens who met Saturday morning at Burnett Elementary School in Morgan Hill for the latest search related to the March 16 disappearance of Sierra. Santa Clara County sheriff's officials are now treating the case as an abduction.

The 49ers players were led by Michael Le, whose sister Michelle disappeared in May. Her body was found by volunteer search teams in September, said Marc Klaas, who heads the KlaasKids Foundation and is organizing the search effort. Another volunteer search will take place Wednesday.

"They're motivated by the same emotions that everybody else has. This little girl is out there missing, and it's our duty to recover her and bring her home," said Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was kidnapped and killed by career criminal Richard Allen Davis in 1993.

Her mother, Marlene LaMar, said she last saw Sierra at home about 6 a.m. before she was to leave for a nearby bus stop at Palm and Dougherty avenues in an unincorporated area near Morgan Hill.

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 - the only item known to be with Sierra at the time of her disappearance - near Santa Teresa and Laguna Avenue, a short distance from where her phone was found.

Inside were the 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, said Sheriff Laurie Smith, adding the purse, clothes and books were found together "wedged between a building and a big cactus" or bush.

On March 29, searchers found an empty handcuff box and used condoms at the dead end of Palm Avenue, within 2 miles of the teenager's home. Authorities have cautioned that the area where the items were found had been searched at least five times before and that the location is known as a teen hangout spot. Investigators are "anxiously awaiting" the results of forensic testing of those items, the sheriff said.

Dive teams have searched several reservoirs as well as through various smaller percolation ponds in the Morgan Hill region. On Thursday, a sheriff's search and rescue team and three cadaver dogs combed through areas in San Martin and Gilroy, looking for "possible crime scenes and possible items of evidentiary value," said sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza.

Investigators said they have logged more than 6,000 hours searching for Sierra and evaluated more than 1,000 tips.

Sierra is 5 feet 2 inches tall with a thin build, dark hair and an olive complexion.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's investigators at [phone] or an anonymous tip line at [phone], or text [phone]. People can also e-mail the sheriff's office at [e-mail], or find more information from the Facebook page Find Sierra LaMar.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/08/BATM1O0AUP.DTL

[LadyBlue]

DNA found on one of the items linked to Sierra

MORGAN HILL, Calif. —


It’s all the little things, even those minor annoyances, that Sierra LaMar’s mother says she misses as search for her daughter continued into its sixth week.

Standing inside the search center at Burnett Elementary School Wednesday, Marlene LaMar fought off waves of emotions and tears to talk about the case, her family’s life without Sierra and the search for the missing teen with reporters.

“As time goes on and those familiar sounds that you are used to hearing all the time and I never thought I’d be saying this but we miss the rap music,” she said. “We really miss her. “

Meanwhile, sheriff’s deputies continued to scour nearby waters for any sign of the teen. On Wednesday, divers were in the waters of the Calero and Anderson Reservoirs .

Sources have also told KTVU that DNA found on one of the items linked to Sierra that have been recovered by investigators.

“We talk with them pretty consistently,” she said of the family’s contact with investigators. “There is always law enforcement at the search center.”

As the hours have turned into days and then weeks, the stress has taken its toll on Sierra’s family.

“Emotionally, it’s unbelievable that something like this could happen,” Marlene LaMar told reporters. “You are not prepared for a situation like this. It’s an unfortunate reality. We all like to believe our child is going to be safe and we are doing everything to keep them safe as a parent.” When asked if Sierra there’s was a message she wanted to send her daughter, Marlene LaMar responded: “Sierra just be strong. We are out there looking for you. We are very hopeful you will be strong enough to pull through this and come back to us… We all love you dearly.” Marlene LaMar – wearing a pink bracelet that reads – “Sierra is everyone’s daughter” -- has also returned to work, but find it difficult not to think about her missing daughter.

“I’m back to work and hard to focus,” she told reporters. “It’s harder to rest.”

Sierra, 15, has been missing since March 16, when she did not show up for school. Hundreds of volunteers have searched fields and open spaces for any sign of the missing teen since then.
www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/sierras-mom-we-miss-rap-music/nMcWB/

[LadyBlue]

Red VW linked to missing teen

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.

How to help

Anyone with information on Sierra LaMar is asked to call sheriff's investigators at [phone] or an anonymous tip line at [phone], or text [phone]. People can also e-mail the sheriff's office at [e-mail], or find more information on the Facebook page Find Sierra LaMar.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/08/BADD1OEFRN.DTL

[LadyBlue]

Car Linked to Sierra LaMar Disappearance Found

A red Volkswagen Jetta connected to the disappearance of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar is now in custody of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s department.

Authorities found the mid-90s four door red sedan with a black hood after releasing pictures of a similar vehicle on Monday, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Cardoza. However, investigators are not disclosing specifics of how they identified the car and its connection to the case.

The vehicle came to the attention of authorities after it was captured on multiple surveillance videos in the area of the missing cheerleader’s Morgan Hill, Calif., home and the area where authorities recovered the teen’s belongings. Sgt. Cardoza said investigators have been unable to recognize specific person(s) in the vehicle from the videos.

With the vehicle is in custody, authorities are asking the public to report any sightings of the vehicle and/or possible occupants at the time of the girl’s disappearance. They are interested in speaking to anyone who may have come in contact with the car or occupants in the month of March.

The cheerleader was last seen on March 16 as she left to catch the school bus. The girl’s parents contacted authorities later that day after receiving an email from her high school informing them the teen did not show up for class.

Days later, Sierra’s cell phone and her Juicy brand bag containing a pair of folded jeans and a t-shirt were recovered on the side of the road in the opposite direction of her bus stop. Investigators searched her phone and computer, but did not find clues to her disappearance.

Divers began searching reservoirs near her home last month, but have yet to come up with a trace of the teen.
abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/car-linked-to-sierra-lamar-disappearance-found/

[LadyBlue]

Sierra LaMar search expands to local waterways after two local kidnapping attempts found to be unrelated

Sheriff's dive teams are now searching small ponds and waterways for missing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar. Investigators also say that they do not believe two recent kidnapping attempts in Walnut Creek and San Jose are related to the girl's disappearance, reports CBS San Francisco.

On Tuesday, Sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza announced that investigators had recovered a red Volkswagen Jetta they believe to be linked to Sierra's disappearance. The car has been seized and is undergoing a forensic examination.

Two recent attempted kidnapping cases had been looked at as possible connections. In the San Jose case, a man driving what police described as a red, compact passenger car tried to kidnap a 16-year-old girl using some type of electric device, possibly a stun gun, police said.

In the second case at Walnut Creek, a man driving a faded red older-model compact sedan tried twice in two days to lure a 13-year-old girl into his car.

The first time, on the afternoon of March 14, the man approached the Walnut Creek Intermediate School student after she got off of a school bus. He spoke with her and offered her a ride but she declined.

The next day, the same girl saw the man waiting near the back gate of her school as she was leaving for the day. Police tried to locate the man but he was not found.

Investigators have not named a suspect or person of interest in that case.

Anyone with information about Sierra LaMar or her whereabouts is asked to contact Santa Clara County Communications at [phone]. During business hours, tipsters can call sheriff's investigators at [phone] or the anonymous tip line at [phone].
www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57431636-504083/sierra-lamar-search-expands-to-local-waterways-after-two-local-kidnapping-attempts-found-to-be-unrelated/

[LadyBlue]

Authorities Believe Sierra LaMar is Alive

Authorities close to the Sierra LaMar case believe the missing Morgan Hill teen is still alive, and will be performing a forensic examination of the red, Volkswagen Jetta that's believed to be associated with the teen's disappearance, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office announced.

"We still do believe she's alive. We don't have any evidence leading us in the direction that she's no longer alive," Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.

Investigators believe Sierra may have been kidnapped in the mid-1990s Jetta after reviewing surveillance footage that repeatedly captured the vehicle in locations key to the LaMar case, like near Sierra's mother's home and driving near the fields where the teen's personal items were found.

Cardoza called the development "pretty significant" during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. He said investigators know who the car's owner is but said there is no person of interest in the case yet. He declined to say where or how the car was found.

On Monday, the sheriff's office released a generic photo of a red four-door Volkswagen Jetta that investigators — who were working off of witness reports and a review of surveillance footage — said was similar to a car possibly associated with the teen's disappearance. They said the vehicle they were seeking had a black hood.

Tuesday afternoon the sheriff's office announced that the car had been found, and its appearance had not been altered.

Sierra, 15, left home for school the morning of March 16 and has not been seen since.

Cardoza said the sheriff's office has determined that the attempted kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl in San Jose the evening of March 23 is not related to Sierra's disappearance.

In that case, a man driving what police described as a red, compact passenger car tried to kidnap the teen using some type of electric device, possibly a stun gun, San Jose police said.

Cardoza said the sheriff's office is still looking into whether two attempted abductions in Walnut Creek in mid-March could be linked to the Sierra LaMar case.

In the Walnut Creek case, a man driving a faded red older-model compact sedan tried twice in two days to lure a 13-year-old girl into his car.

The first time, on the afternoon of March 14, the man approached the Walnut Creek Intermediate School student after she got off of a school bus. He spoke with her and offered her a ride, but she declined.

The next day, the same girl saw the man waiting near the back gate of her school as she was leaving for the day. Police tried to locate the man but he was not found.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has received 1,600 tips in the Sierra LaMar case as of last week and is seeking additional information from anyone who may have seen the Jetta or had contact with its driver during the month of March.

Anyone with information is asked to contact sheriff's investigators at [phone] or call the anonymous tip line at [phone].
watsonville.patch.com/articles/volkswagen-linked-to-sierra-lamar-disappearance-to-undergo-forensic-examination

[LadyBlue]

Suspect arrested for murder and kidnapping of Sierra LaMar

A 21-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with one count of murder and one count of kidnapping Monday in connection with the disappearance of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, according to authorities.

KTVU confirmed Monday evening that Santa Clara sheriff's deputies were holding 21-year-old Antolin Garcia-Torres in custody as a suspect in the case.

Garcia-Torres, a resident of San Martin, is the owner of the red VW Jetta that authorities sought and seized in connection with the case on May 8th.

Garcia-Torres was being questioned about the disappearance of the 15-year old girl from Morgan Hill.

Shortly after 10 p.m. when KTVU broke the story, officials confirmed that Garcia-Torres was booked on one charge of murder and one charge of kidnapping.

At the Santa Clara County sheriff's office Monday night, there were high hopes that the arrest is the break investigators have needed to solve the disappearance of Sierra LaMar.

A KTVU camera crew was at the Safeway store on Tenant Avenue in Morgan Hill at around 6 p.m. when sheriff's detectives took Garcia-Torres, a store employee, into custody.

KTVU followed the detectives to the sheriff's headquarters in San Jose and were outside at around 9 p.m. when detectives took Torres to the main county jail.

Sources tell KTVU detectives questioned Garcia-Torres for two hours about the missing teenager, trying to find out her location.

Authorities were mum when pressed for more details.

Sources said there is some DNA evidence linking Garcia-Torres to the clothing found in Sierra LaMar's backpack.

We have also been told that Garcia-Torres has been under around-the-clock surveillance since he was identified, including at his job and at his San Martin home.

The sheriff's office was declining to comment on the arrest or provide any details about what Garcia-Torres has said including whether he knows LaMar.

The sheriff's department said it plans to release more details at a news conference Tuesday.
www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/suspect-taken-custody-sierra-la-mar-case/nPBX3/

[LadyBlue]

Other webnews on case:

www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57438966-504083/sierra-lamar-update-antolin-garcia-torres-arrested-in-case-of-missing-calif-teen/

Garcia-Torres had been under surveillance by her department, but declined to elaborate. Witnesses to the arrest told the television station that sheriff's officers took Garcia-Torres into custody at gunpoint.
www.montereyherald.com/ci_20677622/arrest-sierra-lamar-disappearance?source=most_viewed

[LadyBlue]

Local rescue group helps search for Sierra LaMar, others

Three local residents, Anita Schaul, Kristin Pugh and Kris Black, donate their time, and their dogs, to assist in the search and rescue efforts for missing people such as Morgan Hill high school student Sierra LaMar.
photos.mercurynews.com/2012/06/12/local-rescue-group-helps-search-for-sierra-lamar-others/#name here