Sheriff’s investigators have the car allegedly used to kidnap Sierra LaMar in their custody, and released photos of the red four-door sedan shot by area surveillance cameras.
“Investigators are asking the public to report any sightings of this vehicle and/or occupants during the time surrounding Sierra’s disappearance,” Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Cardoza wrote in a press release.
Authorities reported Monday that a 90s model, red four-door Volkswagen Jetta with a black hood is linked to the 15-year-old Sobrato High School sophomore’s disappearance.
The sheriff’s office is not releasing any other information about the vehicle such as where they found it and when, who it is registered to, where it was photographed, and whether or not investigators have been able to gather any other evidence such as fingerprints or DNA from the vehicle, according to news reports.
Investigators have known about the possible link since early on the investigation which started the day Sierra was reported missing March 16, but were only able to confirm the connection in recent days. Cardoza said it’s “more than a coincidence” that places the vehicle in the area around Sierra’s north Morgan Hill home about the time she disappeared, and the link is supported by eye-witness sightings of the car and surveillance camera footage from residential and business areas and bus stops.
Police think Sierra was kidnapped as she was walking to her usual bus stop near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues the morning of March 16.
The only other physical evidence reported by investigators is Sierra’s cell phone and her purse containing some of her clothing, which were found off the side of the road within a couple miles of her home on March 17 and March 18.
Detectives and officers from a number of agencies have also spent thousands of hours interviewing people who know Sierra from Morgan Hill and Fremont, her former home.
Anyone with information on the Volkswagen Jetta identified by investigators can contact the sheriff’s tip line at 299-2311 or [email protected]. Callers can call Sheriff’s Investigators at 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at 808-4431. Tips can also be sent via sccgov.org/portal/site/sheriff or by text at 421-6760.
