CA CA - Bryce Laspisa, 19, Castaic, 30 Aug 2013 - #2

[Voice4theSilent]

Petaluma is northern Ca near coast. Mariposa is near Yosemite where Rim fire is burning. These are 2 different bodies. Yikes!

Also, I seriously doubt the mariposa body is related to this case. Even if Bryce hitchhiked, route to mariposa is not a highly travelled route, meaning no truckers etc
Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

(BBM) Perhaps not, if foul play was involved. A less traveled route may have been ideal?

 

[alreetlike]

Another day waking up to no news on Bryce.

Note for searchers: As I was driving home today I noticed a hawk circling above near my house (not in Castaic) but in SCV. I'm pretty sure he had an eye on something below to eat (most likely roadkill) but it immediately sparked in me to think of the searchers - if there was a body in the brush there could be birds or other wildlife around so look for them. I'm hoping that's not the case obviously...just thought it may help somehow :dunno:

Good point. That's how Adrienne Salinas' body came to be found not long ago.

SBM:

I totally agree that his Mom would definitely not tell the gf that she could not be involved with finding Bryce. Even if Bryce had ended the relationship, I think most gfs would still be concerned and involved.

I guess the thing that surprised me was to read in a few places where it was indicated that break up never took place, and yet when I first heard about Bryce missing, that was almost the first thing I heard his mother saying, adding that it was odd because he had been "so in love" just recently. (I can try and find a link to that quote. I read it in a few different news reports. )

So I think that's what struck me - the apparent oddity of him wanting to do that; the fact that it kept being referenced, in the beginning, as the first weird thing that happened, and then no one really indicates what took place at the gf's house.

Yep, I've been thinking that sort of thing too.

Not that I could blame the girlfriend/family for just "glossing over it" now as I'm sure they're all worried about Bryce regardless of what he was going to do.

 

[Whiteorchids]

(BBM) Perhaps not, if foul play was involved. A less traveled route may have been ideal?

Yep if foul play was involved he could be just about anywhere some psycho decided to dump him. Ugh the thought of it gives me goosebumps.


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[AnjL]

(BBM) Perhaps not, if foul play was involved. A less traveled route may have been ideal?

I know, guess I'm hoping that's not the case. Either way I will keep an eye out for info on the body near me. Hoping and praying that it is not Bryce.

 

[PoirotsGirlFriday]

Another day waking up to no news on Bryce.



Good point. That's how Adrienne Salinas' body came to be found not long ago.

SBM:



Yep, I've been thinking that sort of thing too.

Not that I could blame the girlfriend/family for just "glossing over it" now as I'm sure they're all worried about Bryce regardless of what he was going to do.

Totally agree - wouldn't blame them at all.

 

[AnjL]

Which leads me to the next thing. WHY is this alleged break up so rarely mentioned?! I know it may seem that it doesn't have much bearing on the case, but I think it does, at least a little.

The fact that the family is not addressing it seems to indicate, to me, that they did not take it seriously OR that it didn't actually take place. So, why? I'm wondering if Bryce was acting so out of character or so disoriented that his girlfriend didn't think he was acting out of his "right mind"?

Has anyone heard of any reasons Bryce gave for why he was doing it/trying to? I wish we knew this because it might be indicative of the reason for his disappearance .

RSBM

I see this break up thing is coming up again but Dragracerz already addressed this issue on one of the earlier threads
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - CA CA - Bryce Laspisa, 19, Castaic, 30 Aug 2013 - #1

 

[vulture]

I hope Bryce is not in the lake but I agree it makes sense to keep searching it if resources allow because things can move around and look different at different times of the day or from different angles. If you've ever hiked the same trail at different times of the day for from different directions it's amazing how different it can look. And the way the sun hits the water changes through the day and may influence how far you can see. Even if he is not in the lake there might be evidence in there.

This is going to be a bit gruesome, I don't know if there is a delicate way to say this, but my understanding is that vultures don't have as strong talons or beak as an eagle or hawk does and they like their food to be a little bit soft before they eat, so it may take a few days for there to be a lot of scavenger activity to look for. I imagine it depends on the type of scavenger. Eagles eat carrion too if they are hungry enough and I think their claws can deliver 400lbs of pressure so they can probably eat right away, but they may need the vultures to find the carrion (don't have the same sense of smell that vultures do). But that's another reason why repeated searches of an area may not be a bad idea if resources allow. I hope this does not apply in Bryce's case, but it's better for the family to know for sure than wonder forever what happened and I hope anyone who can be found is found.

I'm not an expert on searching, just some observations about the outdoor environment that might be relevant.

 

[TravelingBug]

Something that keeps bugging me and won't let up - WHY did Bryce decide to begin his trip to Laguna Niguel on Wednesday night?

Why not leave in the morning? That seems more practical ESPECIALLY since he was running on little to no sleep. We know he can't have been in a rush to get back to his parents because as it turns out, 24 hrs later and he's still hanging out in Buttonwillow.

So surely, staying Wed night and getting some MUCH NEEDED rest and then heading out fresh Thursday morning would have been fine. And much more logical.

Seems to me that he would have either went back to his apartment for the night OR, better yet, stayed with his girlfriend.

I live in SoCal (even further south than Bryce's family) and my brother has spent the last 5-ish years living a bit further north than Bryce was leaving from (thus adding about 1.5-2 hours to my brother's driving time for a trip that included the entire stretch of 5 that Bryce would have also been driving).

He did the drive many times, including several rather last minute ones.

At least 80% of the time he did the drive at night - especially leaving to head south.

It's cooler, especially in summer, to do the drive at night - and something about boys seems to make many inclined to tend to prefer windows down over a/c whenever possible, at least from the ones I know here in CA.

You also can really hit traffic in LA and even on the grapevine, and if you do the drive at night/very early am, you can miss the traffic, which, otherwise, can add many hours to the drive at worst, or at best, add some time and also be unpredictable.

Plus, there is a lot of truck traffic on part of that stretch and during the day, it can be incredibly annoying to be getting stuck behind trucks (especially with boys - or at least many I know! - tending to be a bit heavy footed... You're apt to get more truckers leaving early am than late at night, at least form my experience.

And I think, too, you tend to get away with speeding more through some of the desolate stretches at night than during the day.

So I don't really find the leaving at night odd - especially for a guy.

And really, I'd suspect most guys - teens even to into their 30's (especially if single and/or not working in the most traditional of jobs) tend to be more nocturnal, and apt to stay up late and sleep in late if they had their druthers.

But those are just my thoughts...

And while I've done the same drive (both ways, and also alone) as a female, I'm much, much more inclined to do it during the day, leaving early am, hoping I could miss some of the traffic in LA if I left really early...though knowing it's still likely I'd get stuck in some...than I would be to do the drive at night, just b/c of feeling safer as a female then than at night on some desolated stretches.

 

[PoirotsGirlFriday]

I live in SoCal (even further south than Bryce's family) and my brother has spent the last 5-ish years living a bit further north than Bryce was leaving from (thus adding about 1.5-2 hours to my brother's driving time for a trip that included the entire stretch of 5 that Bryce would have also been driving).

He did the drive many times, including several rather last minute ones.

At least 80% of the time he did the drive at night - especially leaving to head south.

It's cooler, especially in summer, to do the drive at night - and something about boys seems to make many inclined to tend to prefer windows down over a/c whenever possible, at least from the ones I know here in CA.

You also can really hit traffic in LA and even on the grapevine, and if you do the drive at night/very early am, you can miss the traffic, which, otherwise, can add many hours to the drive at worst, or at best, add some time and also be unpredictable.

Plus, there is a lot of truck traffic on part of that stretch and during the day, it can be incredibly annoying to be getting stuck behind trucks (especially with boys - or at least many I know! - tending to be a bit heavy footed... You're apt to get more truckers leaving early am than late at night, at least form my experience.

And I think, too, you tend to get away with speeding more through some of the desolate stretches at night than during the day.

So I don't really find the leaving at night odd - especially for a guy.

And really, I'd suspect most guys - teens even to into their 30's (especially if single and/or not working in the most traditional of jobs) tend to be more nocturnal, and apt to stay up late and sleep in late if they had their druthers.

But those are just my thoughts...

And while I've done the same drive (both ways, and also alone) as a female, I'm much, much more inclined to do it during the day, leaving early am, hoping I could miss some of the traffic in LA if I left really early...though knowing it's still likely I'd get stuck in some...than I would be to do the drive at night, just b/c of feeling safer as a female then than at night on some desolated stretches.

Thank you. Those are some excellent and perfectly plausible reasons for him to be traveling at night. I, too (even tho a girl) tend to be more of a night owl. Like you, I would choose to leave early am BUT as far as when I am most alert, that's usually from the afternoon and then through the night. So I could see the wisdom behind driving at night.

I guess the thing that had me puzzled that this was a guy who had not slept in ages according to friends. The fact that he should have been exhausted and wanting to get some rest is what stumped me. So I was wondering if he was either in a rush to get to his parents or maybe had to meet with someone in Buttonwillow by a certain time the next day. But since then, GhostWheel commented and told me that Bryce was probably wide awake and feeling pretty wired (my paraphrasing because I don't remember the exact phrasing) from the Adderall or whatever else he may have taken. So to me, that explained why he would not choose to catch up on rest before driving. But you also brought up more good reasons why. Thanks.

 

[PoirotsGirlFriday]

RSBM

I see this break up thing is coming up again but Dragracerz already addressed this issue on one of the earlier threads
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - CA CA - Bryce Laspisa, 19, Castaic, 30 Aug 2013 - #1

Yes, I remembered when Dragracerz addressed it.

But I took it/understood him to mean that Bryce DID tell his mom that's what was going to happen but then they later found out from his girlfriend that it didn't.
Which is why I brought it back up.

Because I don't know about everyone else but when I first started catching the news on Bryce's disappearance, the break up story was the thing that was being repeated the most. As the first indication that something was wrong. Which is why I thought it might be relevant that he apparently did not go through with it or his girlfriend talked him out of it (based upon what Dragracerz said).

I didn't take him to mean that Bryce's Mom never said that to the media...but rather that she discovered after he disappeared, and after she had told that to the media, that he never went through with it. But I may be wrong and I may have misread Dragracerz comment.

 

[AnjL]

Yes, I remembered when Dragracerz addressed it.

But I took it/understood him to mean that Bryce DID tell his mom that's what was going to happen but then they later found out from his girlfriend that it didn't.
Which is why I brought it back up.

Because I don't know about everyone else but when I first started catching the news on Bryce's disappearance, the break up story was the thing that was being repeated the most. As the first indication that something was wrong. Which is why I thought it might be relevant that he apparently did not go through with it or his girlfriend talked him out of it (based upon what Dragracerz said).

I didn't take him to mean that Bryce's Mom never said that to the media...but rather that she discovered after he disappeared, and after she had told that to the media, that he never went through with it. But I may be wrong and I may have misread Dragracerz comment.

To paraphrase dragracerz's post he states that's what mom was told by friends, but later found out that wasn't true. So I don't think he ever tried to break up with girlfriend. Jmo

 

[PoirotsGirlFriday]

To paraphrase dragracerz's post he states that's what mom was told by friends, but later found out that wasn't true. So I don't think he ever tried to break up with girlfriend. Jmo

Ok. That's interesting. I had never heard it put in that way. I had always thought it was Bryce himself who told his mom that's what he was going to do. But yeah, if it came from the friends and later turned out to not be the case and if it never actually came from Bryce's own words...that puts a completely different spin on it. And to me, clears up a lot of my questions and confusions about what went on that night. It's weird that his friends would say that, unsubstantiated, but it could happen.

Thanks for the info/explanation!

 

[TravelingBug]

Thank you. Those are some excellent and perfectly plausible reasons for him to be traveling at night. I, too (even tho a girl) tend to be more of a night owl. Like you, I would choose to leave early am BUT as far as when I am most alert, that's usually from the afternoon and then through the night. So I could see the wisdom behind driving at night.

I guess the thing that had me puzzled that this was a guy who had not slept in ages according to friends. The fact that he should have been exhausted and wanting to get some rest is what stumped me. So I was wondering if he was either in a rush to get to his parents or maybe had to meet with someone in Buttonwillow by a certain time the next day. But since then, GhostWheel commented and told me that Bryce was probably wide awake and feeling pretty wired (my paraphrasing because I don't remember the exact phrasing) from the Adderall or whatever else he may have taken. So to me, that explained why he would not choose to catch up on rest before driving. But you also brought up more good reasons why. Thanks.

Wonder if he drinks Red Bull or something else along those lines? Or if anything like that could be found near his car? Something like that could wire him as well maybe?

Boys in that like 16-26 year old range often seem like a different species to me! :scared: Logic and such sometimes seem, umm, unique! Ha!

As a friend just found out from her son a few weeks back, she'd had him doing his own laundry for over three years, and just within the last month he asked what the blue bottle on the washer was for. She looked at him, dumbfounded, and said, "You mean the detergent?" And he looked at her equally dumbfounded and said, "Wait, am I supposed to be putting that in there?" Three years of doing his own laundry, having assured her he knew how to do it, and she discovers he's NEVER used laundry detergent :floorlaugh:

Unless his friends fill in more pieces for us, who knows what Bryce may have been thinking when he left...unfortunately!

 

[cluciano63]

IMO, there probably was some discussion about a break-up from Bryce, even if it did not happen or he did not mean it. It is such a specific thing to be totally untrue or invented. JMO

 

[ElizaAvalon]

I just read the timeline and wondering why it took so long to go from point A to point B. is that a normal length of time for that drive?

Also why was he going home? Didn't college just start? I tried to find an answer to this in the threads but I don't see anything definitive.

Could he have had a drug problem and was going home to get help from his parents? His actions just seem so erratic to me.

Can a local give us an idea of what he would have seen in the dark of night where the car was found? Would he have seen the water at all? Would he have known he was on a cliff? Why would he leave and come back to that area 3 times? Was he supposed to meet someone there? Does his cellphone have any activity before the car crashed? Maybe he was texting...

Forgive me if these questions have been asked and answered already. Late to this case. TIA!

 

[cluciano63]

I don't think we know why he was leaving college to head home. I think classes had only resumed a few days earlier. Not sure if his decision to go was made as a result of the drug he took, or if he took it after he decided. In his mind, whatever he wanted to tell his mother had to be pretty important, IMO, to set off on such a drive that night.

 

[alreetlike]

IMO, there probably was some discussion about a break-up from Bryce, even if it did not happen or he did not mean it. It is such a specific thing to be totally untrue or invented. JMO

I sometimes feel like I'm clicking 'thanks' on every single one of your posts, but you often say exactly what I'm thinking!

 

[Yellow Camaro]

We're missing a lot of details at what appears to be ground zero ...

1. Any evidence the driver of the SUV, presumably BL, was in the vehicle while it was tumbling down the hill?
2. At the take off point, above the crash site, were there footprints observed, next to where the driver's side of the vehicle would have been just prior to SUV going off the drop off? If so, were they size 12?
3. Was the rear window shattered from the crash? Or manually broken from the inside or outside?
4. Where was the small amount of blood located? Did the blood appear to be as a result of this crash or was it deposited at some prior time? Whose blood was it?
5. Were the SUV keys recovered? Where were they located?
6. Were the passenger doors locked?
7. Were the windows up or down?
8. Was the radio in the on or off position?
9. Was BL's "green book sack" found in the crashed SUV? At his apt? Not found, it's missing?
10. What kind of drink did BL buy in Buttonwillow? Was the can/cup recovered in the SUV?
11. Was the engine running when the crashed SUV was discovered by the ?fisherman??

Additionally ... I'd like to know how BL typically reacted when he became very frustrated, with his Mom for example.

I may be able to answer a FEW of these questions, or at least offer a little insight. I went to Castaic yesterday (Friday, 09/13/13) to assist with the search. While I was there, I spent some time perusing the accident site.

Contrary to what the media has reported, I am very confident that the vehicle landed on the REAR when it rolled off of the small cliff above. I am very confident that the vehicle was in reverse (or at least rolling in reverse) when it went off the cliff, was very slightly airborne, and landed on the tailgate/ rear of the vehicle, before tipping over (coming to rest on the passenger side).

(In the accident debris, there is a LOT of red taillight lens, and NO amber lens debris. Passenger vehicles have no red lens plastic on the front, and little to no amber in the back. It is very clear that the REAR of the vehicle was smashed/ damaged upon landing. There is also no headlight lens debris. Also, the positions of the wheels as they say are marked "R/R" and F/R," which means "rear/ right" and "front/ right." From the positioning of these investigator- placed markings, there is no way that the vehicle could have come off of the upper area nose- first... it HAD to have come down travelling in reverse.)

This would explain why there was no airbag deployment.

This would ALSO explain why the rear window was shattered, with an outward glass disbursement. It opens up the very likely possibility that Bryce was NOT inside the vehicle when it went over the cliff... the fall would have absolutely broken the rear glass out (yes, the rear window glass is all over the place there...).

(In response to another poster's question, it is not possible to see footprints (if they had been above) above the vehicle impact point, due to heavy ground cover consisting of scrubby, dry, woody brush... the dead plant material is too dense and thick to leave footprints. If the vehicle operator had stepped out of the vehicle prior to the final crash of the vehicle, those footprints would not be detectable)

Also: There is much evidence ABOVE the crash site, just off of the roadway above it, that a vehicle (very presumably Bryce's) had pulled off of the road (at this very odd, random, and remote location), and had pulled "too far" off into the brush. There are a number of "wheel ruts," where, recently (within a couple of weeks), somebody had spun their wheels a number of times trying to "get unstuck." However, the soil is very soft and dry right there, and it is relatively steep (approx. 30 degrees above horizontal). It appears that somebody tried quite earnestly to get out of there, but could not... reverse was the only way out.

(more to follow...)

 

[Yellow Camaro]

(continued...)

If Bryce were stuck in the dirt, after trying unsuccessfully to pull forward out of the dirt area, he may have simply grown frustrated, and tried rolling in reverse to get out. A person unfamiliar with that area would have NO idea that going in that direction would lead to the small (15- 20 foot) cliff, or that there was a roadway below. He may have even gotten frustrated enough to get out of the vehicle and "send it" rolling backwards... or.... he could have gotten out of the vehicle to try digging, surveying the situation, whatever, and the vehicle simply rolled away unexpectedly.

Again, a very likely scenario that he was NOT inside the vehicle when it crashed.

(As noted before, the area where his vehicle was stuck is soft soil... but the tracks of the vehicle as it rolled backwards take it through the scrubby desert brush, rolling along for about 50 feet before the cliff edge... any tracks in the brushy area would be impossible to discern, and the soft dirt area is, by now, highly contaminated with the footprints of countless investigators)

Finally, relevant or not: I found a new, full, disposable cigarette lighter in the "rubble" of the broken glass/ taillight/ bodywork of the "landing" zone. No idea if Bryce was a cigarette smoker, but, if not, a lighter would indicate possible marijuana (or other "smokeable" drug) use. Yes, there are plenty of reasons to carry a lighter in one's vehicle that do not include smoking of anything... however, it tends to hint towards it.

Bottom line, regarding vehicle details: I think there's a very high probability that Bryce, or anybody, was NOT in the vehicle when it finally crashed. And, even if somebody WAS in it, the chance of a head injury is low, considering that a rear collision would not tend to generate the same impact forces as a side or frontal collision.

 

[Yellow Camaro]

Note for searchers: As I was driving home today I noticed a hawk circling above near my house (not in Castaic) but in SCV. I'm pretty sure he had an eye on something below to eat (most likely roadkill) but it immediately sparked in me to think of the searchers - if there was a body in the brush there could be birds or other wildlife around so look for them. I'm hoping that's not the case obviously...just thought it may help somehow :dunno:

In addition to surveying the accident site yesterday, I also spent three hours "following" a flock of buzzards around the area. My partner and I observed the birds circling for the full three hours, at various locations around the dam area.

At no time did the birds "drop," having found anything that intrigued them. None of the areas underneath their circling patterns yielded findings to us of any value whatsoever.

I am quite confident that IF there were anything dead in that region, those buzzards would have located it. The birds were clearly SEARCHING for food, and finding nothing.

We were informed by somebody at the "search HQ" (Starbucks) in the morning that Bryce's scent had been found by dogs, starting at the east end of the dam, but disappearing at the west end of the dam... the west end does NOT seem like a place where one could/ would easily "catch a ride" (even while there during the daytime, over the course of three hours, we never saw a single vehicle or person in that area... to think that he happened across a passerby willing to give him a ride at that time of day is quite a remote idea. In addition, there are countless gates, fences, and "No Trespassing" signs.). It seems far more likely to me that either (A) he walked across the dam, found nowhere to go, so he returned (returning east) across the dam to his starting point, or (B) the scent track the dogs followed was in error. Dogs ARE fallible, and their handlers CAN misread their signs, too.

In any case... my partner and I searched the ENTIRE dam area yesterday, checking culvert pipes, foliage, brush, and ANY place that a person (or a body) could hide or be hidden. Again, this was all under the eye of a flock of vultures/ buzzards, none of whom ever indicated that they had located a food source.

And, of course, we utilized our own noses, too: If a body were a week or two old, in the heat of Castaic's weather, the smell would detectable from a long distance. Nothing ever even remotely smelled of that... I am extremely confident is saying that Bryce's body is NOT located anywhere around the dam area.