Woman reported missing in Los Angeles found safe in central California; no crime suspected

Missing Calif. woman found safe 275 miles away

GLENDALE, Calif. — Police say a woman whose disappearance sparked a massive search in the canyons northeast of Los Angeles has been found alive and well in central California.

Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz says 22-year-old Nancy Salas was in the custody of police in Merced, about 275 miles northwest of where she vanished Wednesday morning after telling her family that she was going for a run.

Lorenz says Salas is healthy. He says it’s unclear how or why Salas ended up in Merced but that it doesn’t appear any crime was committed.

Lorenz said earlier that Salas deceived her family by telling them she was attending UCLA, although the school says she hadn’t been enrolled since 2008. Lorenz says the family had been planning a graduation party for her when she vanished.

Lorenz says Salas’ brother is being questioned.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — A 22-year-old woman whose disappearance led to a massive canyon search had lied to her family and claimed that she was attending UCLA when she actually quit more than a year ago, authorities said Thursday.

The latest discrepancy added yet another layer of mystery to the disappearance of Nancy Salas as friends and family mounted a search for a second day in the canyon where they say she went for her usual morning run northeast of Los Angeles.

“There is obviously deception; I don’t want to call it a double life,” Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Her family said Salas was last seen at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday before going on her run in Chevy Chase Canyon. She left her cell phone, keys and car at the family home.

Lorenz sought help from the public, saying, “If she has a separate life from her home life and anybody knows about it, please contact the Glendale police department. We just hope that she hasn’t met with foul play.”

He said her relatives said Salas had no family or boyfriend problems that might have prompted her disappearance.

Police, rangers, bloodhounds and a helicopter searched late into the night without success, calling off crews early Thursday. Friends and family, however, continued to walk the streets, passing out flyers with her photograph as detectives combed cell phone and computer records for clues.

She has had no contact with friends or family or through her Facebook account, Lorenz said.

“She’s still without her phone, she’s still without her laptop computer,” he said.

Salas, a fourth-year student and sociology major, was last enrolled at UCLA in fall 2008, according to university registrar’s records.

Lorenz said Salas’ family was “adamant” that she was about to graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and had been planning a graduation party. Friends claimed that she was enrolled at least part-time.

Brenda Li Gonzalez, a longtime friend, said Salas told her that she was applying to East Coast schools to obtain a master’s degree in public health and that she hoped to work for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Online:

Nancy Salas Update, tinyurl.com/36va39z