As the search for Morgan Hill resident Sierra LaMar, 15, moves into its 18th day, the KlaasKids Foundation announced two more upcoming volunteer search opportunities and urges the community to continue to help in the efforts to find her.
Those are scheduled for Saturday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 11, according to KlaasKids Foundation founder Marc Klaas. Those who want to help can show up at Burnett Elementary, 85 Tilton Ave., on those days from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. People can also help by donating supplies and money to assist in the search efforts.
Daily volunteer searches such as those that drew more than 2,000 volunteers last week are “not sustainable” for the foundation for now, Klaas said. On Sunday, more than 500 people showed up to volunteer for the search efforts. The search radius was expanded to 20 miles from Sierra’s north Morgan Hill home.
“We’ve turned the administration of the searches primarily over to the community and family, but we’re going to continue to provide mapping for the search efforts, and our team will be available to come out again as necessary,” Klaas said.
As far as how Morgan Hill and Bay Area residents can continue to help, “That’s limited only by the imagination of people in the community,” Klaas said. People can still continue to search their own properties, particularly in secluded areas or out buildings they might not be able to watch closely all the time.
Donations of money and supplies are also welcome, and can support the prolonged search efforts and other services offered by the foundation, Klaas said.
Sierra has been missing since March 16, when she did not make it to her usual school bus on the way to school that morning.
On March 17, investigators found Sierra’s cell phone about three-quarters of a mile from her home, near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues. The following day, they found her purse containing pants, a T-shirt and undergarments off the side of Santa Teresa Boulevard, another mile north of Sierra’s neighborhood.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office plans to expand their “canvass” searches, and will continue to investigate all leads they receive, according to Sgt. Jose Cardoza.
This weekend authorities moved the investigation off-road along the Coyote Creek Trail which connects Morgan Hill and San Jose through rugged, overgrown areas, Cardoza said.
On Saturday, two recognizable locals helped search in Morgan Hill: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and Assemblyman Luis Alejo.
The sheriff’s office dive team last week was deployed to reservoirs and percolation ponds in South County.
On Thursday, a volunteer found an empty box with the words “stainless steel handcuffs” and used condoms at the west end of Palm Avenue, Cardoza said. It is unknown if the items are related to Sierra’s disappearance and authorities are in the process of analyzing the items.
The county crime lab is still processing the items found Friday, as well as Sierra’s purse and clothing, Cardoza said.
As of Monday, sheriff’s investigators have responded to and investigated more than 900 tips from concerned residents, Cardoza said. More than 5,000 staff hours, from sheriff’s office and other agencies’ personnel, have so far been dedicated to the search.
Police think Sierra was the victim of a kidnapping or abduction, and that someone who either lives in, or is familiar with the area, is responsible for her disappearance.
That’s based on more than 100 interviews with Sierra’s friends in Morgan Hill and former classmates from Fremont, where the teen attended Washington High School before moving to Morgan Hill with her mother and mother’s boyfriend in October 2011; and the kidnapping theory is based on the fact that Sierra lives in a secluded, rural area where it is unlikely a stranger passing by would be likely to contact her, Cardoza said last week.
Plus, nothing indicates she had a troubled life at home or school, authorities added.
Cardoza added the community’s involvement in the search has been valuable, and is still welcome as authorities continue to investigate Sierra’s disappearance.
“As a reminder, any and all information on the Sierra LaMar case should be reported to the sheriff’s office,” Cardoza said. “We are also asking large parcel property and ranch owners in the South Santa Clara County area to report any suspicious activities or information related to their private land.”
Residents march to show support
On Saturday, despite the rain scores of people attended a community march to raise awareness of the fact that Sierra, a sophomore at Sobrato High School, is still missing, and to show support to her family.
The march, which took to the sidewalks on Monterey Road from the community and cultural center to Main Avenue and back, was organized by Morgan Hill resident Dori Prado, who volunteered in the KlaasKids searches throughout last week.
Gathering at the Community Center, Prado and other organizers distributed pink helium balloons and stacks of flyers depicting Sierra’s picture for the marchers to hand out along the route.
Prado invited the marchers to write messages to Sierra or her family on the balloons before they released them into the air.
“We want people to know we are a strong community and we will do whatever it takes to bring Sierra home,” Prado said.
Gary Palacios, pastor of Cathedral of Faith Morgan Hill, led the group in a prayer before they let go of the balloons.
After releasing the balloons, the crowd proceeded north on Monterey Road, carrying signs urging Sierra’s safe return and proclaiming solidarity in the effort to find her. One of the marchers, Annette Nevarez, 47, whose 14-year-old daughter Tara Romero was killed in a drive-by shooting last year, helped tie pink ribbons around the marchers’ arms.
Kathy Barraza attended Saturday’s march with her 10-year-old daughter Chloe and fellow Morgan Hill resident Tracy Flores.
Barraza has lived in Morgan Hill about eight years, and used to live near the neighborhood where Sierra lives, near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues, she said.
“You never hear about things like that happening in our community,” Barraza said.
Flores added she attended the march to help find Sierra and to help “bring attention to the fact that someone from our community is missing.”
Nevarez said she is “not surprised” at the community outpouring of support Sierra and her family have received since the teen was reported missing, because she received similar support when Romero was shot to death at Cosmo and Del Monte avenues Nov. 4, 2011.
“Tara is guiding her,” Nevarez said. “Our community is awesome. We’re family.”
Romero’s cousin, Vanessa Woo, 22 of Morgan Hill, also marched Saturday.
“When everything happened with Tara we had so much support, and we’re here to give back,” Woo said. “Hopefully, Sierra comes home safely.”
Tara Garcia and her boyfriend Jesus Gomez attended the march from Mountain View. They have followed Sierra’s case closely on the news for two weeks, and wanted to let her family know that they’re hoping for her return.
“I have a 15-year-old daughter,” Garcia said. “Just the thought of what the family is going through – I would be devastated if something like that happened to my daughter.”
Sierra LaMar is about 5-feet, 2-inches tall with a thin build and dark hair.
For more information on the Sierra LaMar Search Center, call 201-6364.
Anyone with information on the case can contact Santa Clara County Communications at 299-2311, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
During normal business hours callers can call Sheriff’s Investigators at 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at 808-4431. Information or tips can also be sent via the Sheriff’s Office website at sccgov.org/portal/site/sheriff. Information can also be submitted by text at 421-6760.
