GUILTY WA - Elaine Sepulveda, 15, Oak Harbor, 6 Nov 2004

Police Say Teen's Disappearance Is Suspicious

November 10, 2004
By Leslie Knopp

OAK HARBOR - "It's just not like her. It's that gut feeling in me that says 'it's just not like her,'" said Mary Jimenez about her daughter, Elaine Sepulveda.

Elaine disappeared without a word. The 15-year-old went to a party Friday night and returned about 15 minutes before her curfew early Saturday morning.

But the next morning she was gone and her family reported her missing.

"I found her purse, I found her ID, I found her money, I found her clothes. Everything was here," said her mother. "So, I thought, where is she?"

For four days the family has put up posters, and worried.

Oak Harbor Police said Elaine's disappearance is suspicious and believe the young girl may have been four months pregnant.

"An individual claims to have seen her at 2:00 AM," said Mary. That person would be the last to see Elaine Saturday morning.

But no one will say anything official about who that person is or what he or she knows.

Mary still hopes she'll hear from her daughter any minute.

"As a parent you have that fear of losing a child," she said. "Well I've had that since I came home and I couldn't find her."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Jerry Baker at 360- 240-2818 days and 360-679-9567 evenings and weekends.

Link with photo:
http://www.komotv.com/stories/33896.htm

New developments in search for missing Oak Harbor teen

06:48 AM PST on Monday, November 15, 2004
By BERNARD CHOI / KING 5 News

OAK HARBOR, Wash. - Investigators searching for a missing 15-year-old from Oak Harbor, Wash., now believe she didn’t disappear of her own free will. An earlier sighting of Elaine Sepulveda turned out to be false.

Police said the girl who turned up at a Snohomish County fire station last week was not Elaine Sepulveda.

Firefighters at the Bryant fire station near Arlington said on Wednesday Supulveda used the phone, drank some hot cocoa, and disappeared again.

But it turns out the girl who showed up at the fire station was not Sepulveda but a local Hispanic female who looked a lot like her.

Oak Harbor Police were basically back to square one. There were still no signs of the teen, believed to be four months pregnant, but new developments suggest the teen may not have disappeared willingly.

Sepulveda was last seen at the naval complex on Whidbey Island over a week ago. An 18-year-old male friend was the last person to see Sepulveda at 2:30 in the morning the day she disappeared.

Investigators found some of the clothes Sepulveda was wearing that morning in his house, including her shoes, but officers have yet to name him a suspect.

"It's not evidence of a crime, but it is surely suspicious and we will proceed from there,” said Capt. Rick Wallace, Oak Harbor Police Dept.

Sepulveda’s family continues to wait in anguish to find out what has happened.

"I have to find out,” said Sepulveda’s mother. “I can't go on like this, I have to find out."

"Well, with the information that she left home without any clothes, no bags, no money, no ID, one would think that she left the home not intending to stay gone for too long and she hasn't returned,." said Sgt. Jerry Baker. "Those are indicators that something bad has happened."

The FBI is now involved in the investigation, interviewing people in the El Paso, Texas-area where Elaine lived before she moved to Washington.

Anyone with information about Elaine Sepulveda is asked to call the Oak Harbor Police Department from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 360-240-2818; and nights and weekends at 360-679-9567.
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_111504WABmissingteenLJ.5c250cb2.html

Friends,family hold vigil for missing teen

November 21 2004

OAK HARBOR, Wash. - Friends and family aren't giving up hope that a missing Oak Harbor teenager will be found.
On Saturday night, friends and family held a vigil for 15-year-old Elaine Sepulveda. She vanished two weeks ago and despite numerous searches, there has been no trace of her.

Police are calling her disappearance suspicious.
"It's been really, really hard," said Elaine's friend, Jacki Mattison. "We hung out all the time. We were really close and it's been hard without her."

At the end of the vigil, Elaine's parents released white balloons in hopes that their prayers will be answered.

The family says police have ended their search for now, but are still looking into some of Elaine's e-mails.

Elaine Sepulveda is described as Hispanic, about five feet tall, weighing between 115 and 130 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes. She may be using a nickname "Mandi."

If you have any information about the case you are asked to call the Oak Harbor Police Department from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 360-240-2818; and nights and weekends at 360-679-9567.

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_112104WABmissingteenSW.7d08e80f.html

ummmm...the guy had her shoes! I think they know who did it....

tuppence said:

ummmm...the guy had her shoes! I think they know who did it....

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Exactly! Pregnant 15 year old,18 year old boy last to see her and has her shoes(you're telling me she left his house BAREFOOT???) :banghead: I think we all see where this will go................

National Groups Help Search For Local Teen

January 13, 2005
By Joe Furia

OAK HARBOR - Friday morning a massive search was scheduled to get underway for Elaine Sepulveda, 15.

Elaine's mother and father brought in two national and highly regarded search organizations to help them look for their beloved daughter.

The experts are offering their help in the mysterious Nov. 5 disappearance of the Oak Harbor teen.

The Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children in Texas and Klaas Kids Foundation out of Florida came to Whidbey Island to teach a group of volunteers about the finer points of a search. The lessons from the pros include things like organizing a group into a search force and using grids to define search areas.

The lead volunteers will take the information they learn from the experts and share it with up to 200 other volunteers who will be part of the giant search for Elaine all weekend.

"We're searching for a needle in a haystack," said Bob Walcutt with the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children, "at this stage that's what we're doing. We are looking for a needle in a haystack. If we can find any trace of her or anything that will help the police or her family find out what happened to her, that's what we're after right now."

Elaine's family and friends have spent 10 agonizing weeks searching for her. They've gone door to door, put up thousands of fliers, offered rewards, and appeared for help on television and in newspaper stories. So far they've come up empty.

Bringing in two national, prestigious search organizations has given Elaine's family renewed hope.

"The more experience the better. It's great that they're out here," said Elaine's father, Juan Jimenez.

Elaine's parents pleaded with the two national groups to help them find some sign of their little girl. The search was expected to last all weekend.

http://www.komotv.com/stories/34798.htm

Website for Elaine: Pls sign the guestbook

http://www.elainesepulveda.com

Prayers for Elaine, and those who search for her.

With love and HOPE, Lanie

messiecake said:

Exactly! Pregnant 15 year old,18 year old boy last to see her and has her shoes(you're telling me she left his house BAREFOOT???) :banghead: I think we all see where this will go................

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And he's likely the father of the baby and didn't want the responsibility....shades of a Scott Peterson, Jr. :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious: God be with this family.

fourboys said:

Website for Elaine: Pls sign the guestbook

http://www.elainesepulveda.com

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WOW, what a beautiful and loving web site he has created for his daughter.

I have signed, with a referral to all 3, should they need any more assistance.
(Angels Missing, Project Jason and Help For The Missing)

God bless you, fourboys, for assisting with links and referrals.

The gift of HOPE is priceless.

Prayers for Elaine and her family, Lanie

I'll be praying that this young girl if all right and they will find her soon.


xxxxxxxxxxxooooooooo
mama

I could never imagine my 16 year old daughter to be "missing". What a heart wrenching thought. May Elaine be re-united with her loved ones in the name of Jesus.

KOOL LOOK said:

I could never imagine my 16 year old daughter to be "missing". What a heart wrenching thought. May Elaine be re-united with her loved ones in the name of Jesus.

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Amen

Close your eyes, and visualize yourself looking for the one who means the most to you in this world. Now what? Your loved one has disappeared, and you have no idea what might have happened to them. What should you do? Who should you call? Oh my gosh, what, when, where, why?

OUCH, it hurts, doesn't it? Back to reality. Open your eyes.

That was just a thought. This is really happening. Elaine is missing.

Now, visualize yourself reading any negative post. Their heart has already been ripped out their throats. Try and understand, this is hard stuff. We need to be as supportive as we can for this family....for all the families of the missing, lost and abducted.

Sometimes we refer the families to these boards, and many times they find them before the referrals. I am hesitant to refer families, because of certain posts.

For anyone who might read this post, please stop and say a prayer for this child and her family, who loves and misses her so much.

Pray for those of us who search, and try to lend a helping hand.
The gift of HOPE is free, and you can give that with a kind and thoughtful post to this family.

I promise you one thing, it will bring joy to your own heart to give this free, yet priceless, gift. \o/

With love and HOPE for Elaine, Lanie

Local news report remains found thought to be that of Elaine Sepulvdea. ALso, stated there has NOT been a positive I. D. . Boyfriend, 18 arrested.
Remains discovered in Oak Harbour at a residence around midnight last night.

Prayers For the Sepulveda Family.

I pray it is not Elaine and also send forth prayers for her family that they may have the strength to continue on in this difficult journey.

Yes, who could imagine this being their own loved one or child. I cannot say it enough, but get every person in your family a free ID kit. The basic uses are to allow LE to start their work right away because they have all of the descriptive info, and then as means of quick identification in case a body is found. Besides the horror of the "not knowing", there is the additional one of waiting. Having this information lessens this time.

We always think it couldn't happen to us and that it's just something you see on TV. I'm sure that Elaine's family couldn't imagine it would be them, just as I couldn't imagine it would be us.

Get a free ID Kit for all ages here:

http://www.projectjason.org/Education.html#idkit

With Hope,
Kelly Jolkowski, Mother of Missing Jason Jolkowski
President and Founder,
Project Jason
www.projectjason.org

shergirl said:

Local news report remains found thought to be that of Elaine Sepulvdea. ALso, stated there has NOT been a positive I. D. . Boyfriend, 18 arrested.
Remains discovered in Oak Harbour at a residence around midnight last night.

Prayers For the Sepulveda Family.

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This is indeed a tragic update. It's hard to say 'thank you' for probable bad news. Of course, none of us wants this update. God bless you!
shergirl, can you provide the link or at least a news station channel, so I can find the link? The closest major city would help me. Pls. feel free to e-mail or private message with this information.

I have all the local and state links, TV and radio, and newspapers.
This is the newspaper for that area, and the story is not listed, yet.

TIA, for any information you can provide.

One family will have an answer soon. It may not be Elaine's.
Please conitnue to pray for this family and those who are still missing a loved one.

Prayers for Elaine, and her family.

With LOVE and HOPE, Lanie

Here is an update:

http://www.teamamberalert.net/news/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6657&mode=&order=0&thold=0

Oh, Lord, please be with this family. This is just horrible. I hope this boy will be charged with 2 counts of murder if she was indeed pregnant. My prayers go out to Elaine's family.

www.komo4.com

Latest t.v. update is that the reamins are hers and that she was buried in the suspects back yard. Theories are that all the latest search efforts that were supposed to take place put pressure on someone in the community to call in a tip. Bob from Laura's Search and Recovery was interviewed on the local news and the searchers were devasted that they never had the opportunity to search for a living person.

Prayers For Elaine's family.

Police find body believed to be missing teen; classmate arrested

01/15/2005
Associated Press

Police have arrested a male classmate of a missing 15-year-old girl after remains were found in the backyard of his grandfather's house.

Investigators believe the body is that of Elaine Sepulveda, who vanished early Nov. 6 after slipping out of her house, police Capt. Rick Wallace said Friday.

"We have very high confidence that this is Elaine's remains, but we won't know for sure until an autopsy is completed," Wallace said.

James Sanders, 18, believed to be the last person to see the girl, was arrested for investigation of second-degree murder. At a preliminary hearing Friday afternoon is Island County Superior Court in Coupeville, bail was set at $500,000. Sanders was being held in the county jail.

The girl's mother, Mary Jiminez, wept after the hearing and asked for prayers for her daughter.

"Now that we have Elaine back home, we can put her to rest," she said.

Public Defender Craig Platt, who is representing Sanders, declined comment.

According to a probable cause statement from an Oak Harbor police detective, the girl had told friends she was pregnant with Sanders' child.

In earlier police interviews, Sanders said he had encountered the girl by chance early on Nov. 6. He denied having had sex with her, saying she was too young and that he was not interested in her. He told police he was aware of her claims that she was carrying his child, and said he had offered her Internet information on miscarriage and abortion.

On Nov. 7, Sanders' mother called police to report finding a bag of Elaine's clothing in her son's closet. She said her son told her he found the bag in the middle of a road. Sanders subsequently said Elaine had asked him to hold the clothes for her because she was afraid they smelled like illegal drugs she had smoked at a party.

Early Friday, police went to the home of Sanders' grandfather, who told officers Sanders had confided that he accidentally killed the girl, knocking her to the ground as he attempted to prevent her from committing suicide, Detective Sgt. Jerry Baker said in the probable cause statement.

Sanders, who was with his grandfather, was arrested and the body was located in a backyard compost pile. The site was secured and the body recovered after daybreak.

An autopsy was scheduled Saturday.

http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/AP.../D87K8C0G0.html