Trinity Search & Recovery

Missing Persons

RECOVERED

UPDATE: On March 29th, hikers discovered Jeffrey Howard’s car covered with brush, nose down, about 800 feet below Kanan-Dume Road. Jeff was still inside. Although there were numerous searches of this area, the car was very well hidden & it is very likely that Jeff had been there since he went missing in 2006. Our prayers are with the Howard family.

Jeff Howard woke up about 2:30am, Thursday, December 21, 2006 complaining of a severe headache. He left the bedroom presumably to get some medicine, but when his wife woke up around 5:00am, he was gone. According to his wife, he seemed disoriented in previous days, forgetting how to get to familiar places. He had been under stress with a new baby, school exams, and job interviews. Also missing is Jeff's 2003 burgundy Hyundai Elantra 4-door sedan (California 5KRP048).

Leisa Hurst, a 30-year-old mother of two, was last seen in Helendale, CA on Thursday January 22, 2009. Her orange Honda Element was found abandoned in Hesperia on Friday the 23rd. Jeami Chiapulis, a 36-year-old Helendale, CA resident that had a romantic relationship with Hurst, was somehow involved in her disappearance. He has been arrested and charged with Leisa's murder and is awaiting trial.

UPDATE (5/17/2009): Based on new information regarding Leisa, we will be using a drone to image a large section of the Mojave desert later this month in the hopes of finding Leisa.

UPDATE (3/17/2009): Another search for Leisa is being held on 3/28.

UPDATE (2/23/2009): Over 250 volunteers showed up for Saturday's search. Twenty separate search teams were formed and covered more than 15 square miles of ground looking for Leisa. This included searching on both sides of a 10-mile stretch of the Mojave River. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate Leisa during this search. But, on a positive note, missing persons searches are always a process of eliminating areas and we now have eliminated many areas where we know Leisa is not. TSAR will continue to work with Leisa's family & Barstow PD. If/when additional searches are planned we will post that information here and also send out an email to all those who participated this past Saturday. Thanks to all who helped make the search run as smoothly as it did. And, a special Thank You to The Kristen Foundation whose support helped make this search possible.

For more information, you can also visit the family's website at: http://leisahurst.wordpress.com/

FOUND

Matt Wilson age 20, was last seen on Saturday, December 15, 2007 around noon leaving his off-campus apartment near Rice University in Houston, Texas and has not been seen or heard from since. His 2004 silver Dodge Neon was found on June 10th in Berekeley, CA.

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information as to his whereabouts and Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. www.findmattwilson.org

UPDATE (8/14): Matt Wilson has been found! He was picked up on the University of California, Berekely by campus police. It appears he has been living in the Berekely area (on and around the campus) for the last 8 months.

Donna Jou was last seen riding away from her mother's house in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA on the back of a motorcycle with a man she had met on CraigsList.org. They were headed to a party as his house the evening of June 23rd, 2007. She has not been seen since.

UPDATE 1/1/2008 - Thank you to the more than 200 volunteers who came out & helped us search the Santa Monica Mountains for Donna on 12/28 & 12/29. Although we have not yet located Donna, we will continue to work with her family until she is found.

Fred Claassen entered the Hoover Wilderness from Twin Lakes on Thursday, July 31, 2003 for a short hiking trip to Crown Lake. He planned to traverse Mule and Burro passes and return to Twin Lakes cross-country via Matterhorn Pass and the Horse Creek drainage. Due back Monday, August 4th hikers reported seeing him last at Crown Lake on the afternoon of Friday August 1st. He has not been heard from since.

April Pitzer last talked with her family in June, 2004 and was planning on taking a bus from Barstow, CA back home to Arkansas. She has never been seen since. TSAR has assisted in an Aerial Photo Search and several multi-day Ground Searches.

RECOVERED

Landon Orcutt - Landon, may you rest in peace.
This 21-year-old student called his pastor on July 2, 2006 and said he was going to drive to Big Bear and take his own life. His car was found two days later in The Village area of Big Bear City. Landon has not been seen since. TSAR participated in water, aerial and ground searches last July. We are currently planning another ground search soon.

UPDATE: 9/10 - TSAR organized a search for Landon on 9/8 & 9/9. On 9/6, while Landon's mother was en route to California for the search, a hiker discovered human remains that were identified as Landon. TSAR postponed our search while Mountain SAR searched for additional remains without success. On Sunday, we assisted the family in continuing the search. Later that morning, Landon's father located the site containing the rest of Landon's remains & his personal effects.

Nita Mayo had breakfast with a friend on August 8, 2005 in Hawthorne, NV and then left for a day trip over the Sonora Pass. She never returned. Her car was found two days later at Donnell Vista, a scenic overlook along Highway 108 in the Sierras. Her purse, cell phone, wallet and keys were in the car. Her prescription glasses and camera are missing. TSAR has participated in two Aerial Searches and multiple ground searches looking for clues to Nita's whereabouts.

FOUND

Emma Teresko age 15, was last seen on July 4, 2008 around 1:30am in the Haight district of San Francisco. She was last seen wearing gray skinny jeans and in the company of a 17 year old Caucasian male. She has not been seen since.

UPDATE (7/23): Emma has been found safe in Houston, TX and is on her way back home!

Search Alert

No additional search volunteers are needed at this time.

TSAR In Action

Click Here to see photos from some of our recent searches
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