On the six-month anniversary of the disappearance of Sierra LaMar, the missing teen’s family doesn’t think their search efforts are going to end anytime soon.
“Obviously we’re keeping up our hope,” said Sierra’s cousin Keith LaMar. “I don’t see an end in sight (to the search efforts) until we find her.”
Sierra’s family, friends and search volunteers solemnly marked the six-month milestone Sunday night by releasing scores of helium balloons into the air from the search center, at Burnett Elementary School.
Sierra has been missing since March 16, when police say she was kidnapped while walking to her daily school bus stop near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues in north Morgan Hill – about half a mile from her home.
Within days after her disappearance, investigators found Sierra’s cell phone, and a handbag containing some of her clothing in different locations within two miles north of her home – the opposite direction she would have walked to the bus stop.
The 15-year-old was a sophomore at Sobrato High School, and a cheerleader for the San Jose Black Diamond Elite club at the time of her disappearance. She moved to Morgan Hill with her mother Marlene LaMar and her mother’s boyfriend, from Fremont, about six months before she disappeared.
On May 21, authorities arrested Antolin Garcia Torres, 21 of Morgan Hill, on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering Sierra. Garcia Torres has not yet entered a plea to the charges, and waived his right to appear in court at two continued proceedings at the Hall of Justice in San Jose this summer.
“I’m still pretty shocked (Garcia Torres) has not entered any plea, let alone shown up for his last two arraignments,” Keith LaMar said.
Garcia Torres is next scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the Hall of Justice.
Neither Sierra’s remains nor any evidence indicating her whereabouts have been found, though authorities think she was murdered based on her lack of contact with anyone since March 16, and her lack of independent means of financial support.
Volunteer searchers, coordinated by Sierra’s family and the KlaasKids Foundation, have scoured public and private property, from highly trafficked to remote locations since Sierra disappeared.
Last week, they announced they would scale back searches from two days a week, to only on Saturdays. KlaasKids Foundation founder Marc Klaas said the reason for limiting the search efforts was to allow the search coordinators more time to plan more focused and intensive searches of the specific targeted areas.
Sierra’s disappearance is currently Santa Clara County’s only active “at-risk” missing persons case in which the victim is also considered a homicide victim, Sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.
The sheriff’s office has received no new tips or leads on the case in recent weeks, Cardoza added.
Anyone with information on the case can call the sheriff’s tip line at (408) 299-2311 or (408) 808-4431. Tips can also be sent by e-mail to ti**@sh*****.org, and via the sheriff’s office website at sccgov.org/portal/site/sheriff.
