Sierra LaMar, 15, remains missing nine days since she was last seen before leaving to catch her bus in Morgan Hill and now the public is being asked to volunteer in a search party organized by KlaasKids Foundation that could attract hundreds of people.
Her mother, Marlene LaMar, called the Foundation – a nonprofit benefit with the mission to stop ccrimes against children and assist families of missing children – and asked for help in organizing a community volunteer search. Since Sierra went missing, law enforcement and volunteer teams organized by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department have been actively searching for clues; however, Sierra is still missing.
The volunteer search starts Tuesday at 8 a.m. at Burnett Elementery School, 85 Tilton Rd. in northwest Morgan Hill. Those who would like to help should check in between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Searches will be going on all week through April 1.
Brad Dennis, the director of search operations for the KlaasKids Foundation will lead the search party’s efforts.
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and bring a photo ID. They should dress appropriatley for the weather, according to a press release sent out Monday, and wear long pants and sturdy shoes.
“We need people who can do foot searches as well as individuals who are willing to work in the search center,” Dennis said. “We are also looking for donations of bottled water and office supplies.”
For more information about the search or information on how you can donate supplies, volunteers can call Tricia Griffiths at (801) 560-1933, or email [email protected].
The Polly Klaas Foundation, whose mission is to assist in nationwide efforts to search for missing children, is helping find Sierra by “inundating” the immediate area and the state with fliers and publicity efforts about the case, according to response department director Cindy Rudometkin.
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.
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.
