GUILTY PA - Erica Shultz, 26, missed work, Bloomsburg, Columbia Co., 4 Dec 2020 *arrest*

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MntnHiker said:
This is so concerning.

I am also curious who was to take her to work on Sunday. A co-worker? I feel like her family would know who her ride was, right? Unless a family member WAS her ride and the wording in the articles was just vague - perhaps they did show up to drive her, she wasn't there, so they checked her job to see if she showed up some other way and she didn't?

According to weather.com, the high there on Dec. 5, the Sat., was only 43 and it was cloudy. I would think you'd grab a coat if you knew you were going out for some period of time. Was it usual for her to keep her coat on the couch when not wearing it? Or would that mean she was planning on putting it on soon?

Did the cat have food available? Did her bed look slept in? Were the drapes/blinds opened or closed? Just questions I'd be curious to have answers to in order to narrow down when she was last in the apartment.

I wonder the mail situation in her apartment - it's possible the mail boxes are inside, and I could see running down to check the mail with just your phone and no coat if it's indoors. Maybe get intercepted on the way? Just MOO[/QUOTE
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*modsnip*

It has never been reported if Erica always gets a ride to work, and if so, who gives her that ride. last thing we know is that she had a video chat with her sister at 8:00 PM the night prior.
 
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I believe the previous poster who was writing about her son was trying to say that from her experience, people on the spectrum may be overly-trusting and lack fear, so it makes them more vulnerable and maybe easier to manipulate. And so we can't rule anything out, including that she may have been abducted or tricked into going with someone. At least that's my take.
(Though IMO this would be true for just about any missing younger person, or missing older person who is a little naive or trusting. And I'm not being critical; a lot of people just don't know how else to be but trusting.)
 
I think we need to go back to what has been said by her family in the articles that have covered her disappearance. I do not think her family would make her out to be less intelligent than she was for pity, or any other reason.
Sources:
State police looking for missing, endangered 26-year-old woman
Police searching for 26-year-old woman with special needs | wnep.com
Missing Woman Update | Eyewitness News
State Police Searching For Missing, Endangered 26-Year-Old Erica Shultz
Family of missing Bloomsburg woman offers reward for her return

Additonal information has been posted to the Bloomsburg Police Facebook Page
 
@JStarling10 I do apologize, I think we got pushed off track a bit when I quoted the MSM article about "mental capacity of a 13- to 14-year old."

The only context that her autism has been mentioned is in being overly trusting and lacking fear.

I'm not sure if this is allowed, but there was a virtual prayer vigil over Zoom on 12/17/2020 at 6:30 PM EST. I don't know if it was recorded or anything (I am doubtful as it's typically a feature for paying customers) or if there will be any MSM coverage of it.
 
@SimplyCass I totally understand why that was brought up as well, as that was the only article I had seen with that comment. Apology accepted and appreciated :)

It has now been 2 weeks since Erica was last seen, and she has been without her daily medications since this time as well. Bloomsburg Police has posted to their Facebook page that they are tracking down every lead and have an anonymous tip line on their Crimewatch website, but there does not seem to be any new information.
 
I went back and reread all of the articles.

Some observations/speculations:
  • I had previously suggested that she could walk or bike to work. However, a night shift, with sunset at 4:37 PM on 12/6/20, would seem to dispel that notion.
  • Missing poster doesn't have clothing description. I interpret that as they don't have any video footage that show her in the apartment complex area.
  • Her movements were unknown for possibly up to 45 hours. Her sister video called her on Friday at 8 p.m. and Erica didn't show for her night shift on Sunday. That's at least a full day (Saturday) where we don't know (or LE has not disclosed) her movements.
  • Erica's Facebook lists her as being a part-time fuel sales associate. We've been focusing on the grocery store, but maybe she doesn't actually work in the store itself, but the Weis Gas N' Go nearby.
  • A "PT Fuel Sales Associate" job posting (for a Weis Markets in Baltimore, MD) basically reads like a convenience store clerk. Assists customers at the pump, operates the register, stocks the shelves, etc.
  • The grocery store closes at 9 PM on Sunday, while the gas station closes at 10 PM every day
  • Does anyone know how Weis schedules shifts? At my grocery store (Sprouts), a night shift generally meant starting at 5 PM and ending at 10-10:30 PM, either at close or a half-hour after close. If there were two courtesy clerks that night, one would leave at 10 and the other at 10:30. The head cashier would be on until 11:00. I feel fairly confident in saying that if Erica was closing that she would be off at 10:30.
  • The longest shift I could work without a mandatory lunch break was 5.5 hours (but this will probably differ from state to state; I live in California). 5-10 PM would fit that.
 
The Weis Gas n Go Erica worked at's hours are 6AM-10PM every day. The PA grocery store I worked at typically assigned a minimum shift of 4 hours, and provided a 15 minute break if you worked 4 hours. Granted, Weis might not have the same policy, but I know many that do. A night shift could be a 6-10 shift. And again, as stated by her family, she was typically driven to work by family members. Additionally, though I can't find the article now, my understanding was her family went to her apartment on Saturday when they hadn't heard from her, though it could also be Sunday when they went to pick her up to take her to her shift?
 
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<modsnip>

Erica is -
Friendly
Positive
Believes people

Those are attributes that could lead to trusting the wrong person/and be the cause of no evidence of struggle at her apartment, as well as no packed bags or coat. All those imply a level of trust or known familiarity.

Her job is a public facing, customer service roll. She interacts with, and deals with all manners of customers daily. All reports on the store where she works acknowledge positive staff interactions and lovely atmosphere. This shows her connection to the community at large, and opens up the vulnerability of random connections or inherent targeting.

<modsnip>
 
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Did I see somewhere in here that Erica deleted all her gaming info? Because I was thinking that by now LE should've finished their review of her gaming console and cell phone records.
 
JStarling10 said:
The Weis Gas n Go Erica worked at's hours are 6AM-10PM every day. The PA grocery store I worked at typically assigned a minimum shift of 4 hours, and provided a 15 minute break if you worked 4 hours. Granted, Weis might not have the same policy, but I know many that do. A night shift could be a 6-10 shift. And again, as stated by her family, she was typically driven to work by family members. Additionally, though I can't find the article now, my understanding was her family went to her apartment on Saturday when they hadn't heard from her, though it could also be Sunday when they went to pick her up to take her to her shift?
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I hadn't read anything about the family attempting to see her on Saturday...actually, I don't know if it was reported when the missing report was filed. It's a minor detail and it probably doesn't make any difference right now, though it might help when making a timeline.

I'm probably reading wayyy into this too much, but I read "relies on her family for transportation to and from work" as meaning that her family didn't always give her rides. But I know that reporters, articles, quotes, etc. may not always be totally precise or clear, and we can probably safely assume that family did always take her to and from work.

bykerladi said:
Did I see somewhere in here that Erica deleted all her gaming info? Because I was thinking that by now LE should've finished their review of her gaming console and cell phone records.
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wait...what? Has it been stated somewhere that Erica was a gamer? I don't recall reading anything about that. And the only thing that was reported regarding the the cell phone was she took it with her; nothing else like where it was last pinged, or even what kind of phone (like if "Find my Phone" was on or turned off).
 
bykerladi said:
Did I see somewhere in here that Erica deleted all her gaming info? Because I was thinking that by now LE should've finished their review of her gaming console and cell phone records.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen anything about this. Would love a source if you have one! And I agree with @SimplyCass , the only thing widely reported about Erica's phone is that it wasn't in her apartment, with the assumption that it is currently in her possession. I haven't seen anything publicly released about cell records, last known cell ping, or social media activity. The assumption would be that LE have made steps if not already gone through those avenues. It's concerning that there is no information, especially after the winter storm last week.
 
adot0902 said:
I'm not terribly far from Bloomsburg. Honestly it use to be, not sure if it changed, a really peaceful quiet town.
That last missing person case that came from Bloomsburg to my recollection I believe was Corinna Slusser, who was most likely sex trafficked (her pimp was sentenced to 15 years not to long ago)..... https://nypost.com/2019/11/26/pimp-...g-that-ensnared-missing-teen-corinna-slusser/
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I remember this, and initially thought there might be a link to this case, but it seems so unlikely. On the outside, it honestly looks like she just disappeared. I know it isn't that simple, but hearing nothing for the last 2+ weeks, it makes you wonder what could have happened.
 
This is such a frustrating case with very little information. I wonder about her medication. If she took pills, I would think she would have a "day of the week" pill container and maybe they could tell if she took her Saturday morning meds. That would at least narrow the time of disappearance.
 
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