No new evidence. No new leads.
In the case that’s captured attention nationwide, Morgan Hill resident Sierra LaMar, 15, has still not turned up after nine days since being reported missing March 16.
“We have yet to downgrade (the investigation) since the beginning,” said Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday afternoon.
The fourth and largest search involving 60 members of search and rescue teams and other law enforcement agencies concluded Saturday with no new evidence. The extended search covered a 12-mile radius from Palm and Dougherty avenues in north Morgan Hill and included four K-9 dogs. The FBI joined the search last week.
“It’s a day-to-day operation,” said Cardoza.
Detectives worked inside the office today to catch up on documenting and updating interviews. Then, said Cardoza, they will come up with a game plan for the next steps of the investigation.
LaMar was last seen on March 16 before heading to her school bus that Friday. She never made it to the bus or school that day. LaMar was at home at 6 a.m. that morning; she typically leaves for the bus stop between 7:10 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. She tweeted a message on her Twitter account at 6:29 a.m. and sent a text to a friend at 7:11 a.m. that morning, the last interaction anyone has heard from the teen since she went missing.
On March 17 police found LaMar’s cell phone near Scheller Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard. The next day, investigators found her Juicy brand pink and black purse on Santa Teresa Boulevard near Laguna Avenue with neatly folded T-shirt with what appears to be a San Jose Sharks ice hockey logo, a pair of pants and undergarments.
Cardoza confirmed that a photo was posted to her Twitter account at 6:29 a.m. March 16 that contains a photo of her face and upper torso. The shirt she was wearing in the photo he said, shows the tip of a possible Sharks logo, but investigators have no way to confirm if it is the same shirt found in the Juicy bag, or if she was wearing that shirt the morning of March 16.
The purpose of Saturday’s search was to look for any such evidence, locate possible crime scene areas, and find any other items that could lead investigators to LaMar’s whereabouts, Cardoza said.
LaMar is about 5-feet, 2-inches tall with a thin build and dark hair. She was last seen with a black and pink “Juicy Couture” purse, authorities said. She has no prior history of running away.
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