CA CA - 4 (previously 6) individuals missing near Idyllwild, summer 2020

[coastal]

Also new to this site and first post...

I was *just* about to post about this as I live about an hour and a half away and have hiked several nearby trails. One of the things that first came to mind was the Malibu Creek Murder and other unsolved incidents that occurred in/around Malibu/Calabasas at that time-- both mountainous areas with lots of hiking trails.

Welcome to Websleuths, AntBird! Going to read about the Malibu Creek murder now. Thanks!

 

[SAMS]

Also new to this site and first post...

I was *just* about to post about this as I live about an hour and a half away and have hiked several nearby trails. One of the things that first came to mind was the Malibu Creek Murder and other unsolved incidents that occurred in/around Malibu/Calabasas at that time-- both mountainous areas with lots of hiking trails.

Mitrice Richardson. Could these all be linked somehow?

 

[Curious Me]

It gets confusing with so many people missing.
I needed to attach names, faces, ages, and when they went missing. (I couldn't find an article that had their names under their pictures, so I did it and hope I got it right.) Sure hope this helps.

Detectives investigate 6 missing person cases in and around Idyllwild

Top Left to right

1. Roy Prifogle, 52 -- last seen on March 4
2. Lydia “Dia” Abrams, 66 -- missing from ranch June 7
3. Vanessa Vlasek, 27 -- missing since June 21
4. Melissa Lane, 41 -- reported missing on July 4
5. Jade Kemerer, 30 -- checked out Bluebird mid July
6. Rosario Garcia, 73 -- missing nearby Hemet since July 7

 

[SAMS]

It gets confusing with so many people missing.
I needed to attach names, faces, ages, and when they went missing. (I couldn't find an article that had their names under their pictures, so I did it and hope I got it right.) Sure hope this helps.

Detectives investigate 6 missing person cases in and around Idyllwild

Top Left to right

1. Roy Prifogle, 52 -- last seen on March 4
2. Lydia “Dia” Abrams, 66 -- missing from ranch June 7
3. Vanessa Vlasek, 27 -- missing since June 21
4. Melissa Lane, 41 -- reported missing on July 4
5. Jade Kemerer, 30 -- checked out Bluebird mid July
6. Rosario Garcia, 73 -- missing nearby Hemet since July 7

Wow, 4/7/21...4/7/? Interesting.

 

[AntBird]

Welcome to Websleuths, AntBird! Going to read about the Malibu Creek murder now. Thanks!

Thanks! It's a doozy. I did some more research this afternoon and it appears that a suspect was caught and indicted. Guess I missed it with everything that's happened in the news since late 2019. Anyhow, it's a good primer on the incompetence of LA law enforcement. Drifter Indicted on Murder Charge in Malibu Creek Campground Killing

 

[Curious Me]

Wow, 4/7/21...4/7/? Interesting.

Once I listed them and the dates they went missing I realized ROY PRIFOGLE went missing in March. Plus he actually lived there.

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/detectives-in
RE: ROY PRIFOGLE from the news article

La Jolla resident Kendra Johnson, 20, has been searching for her father, Roy Prifogle, for the past four months.

“I know that he's probably gone, but I mean we still have some hope,” said Johnson.

Prifogle was last seen on March 4 at the Pine Cove Market, three miles north of Idyllwild. Search teams looked in the area for days, but only found his backpack on a nearby, rugged trail.

“I think maybe he put down his backpack and went back to get water and maybe he lost his footing or something,” Johnson said.

Prifogle, 52, grew up in San Diego and lived in Idyllwild.

“If you have someone missing you don't know whether they're alive or not, and you don't know when to move on or not to move on. It's just hard,” said Johnson.

BBM

 

[AntBird]

Once I listed them and the dates they went missing I realized ROY PRIFOGLE went missing in March. Plus he actually lived there.

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/detectives-in
RE: ROY PRIFOGLE from the news article

La Jolla resident Kendra Johnson, 20, has been searching for her father, Roy Prifogle, for the past four months.

“I know that he's probably gone, but I mean we still have some hope,” said Johnson.

Prifogle was last seen on March 4 at the Pine Cove Market, three miles north of Idyllwild. Search teams looked in the area for days, but only found his backpack on a nearby, rugged trail.

“I think maybe he put down his backpack and went back to get water and maybe he lost his footing or something,” Johnson said.

Prifogle, 52, grew up in San Diego and lived in Idyllwild.

“If you have someone missing you don't know whether they're alive or not, and you don't know when to move on or not to move on. It's just hard,” said Johnson.

BBM

I do think that Roy's disappearance stands out more as a hiking accident-- especially given the time of year. We see a lot of hiking tragedies in the news during the late winter/early spring months.

 

[Curious Me]

Prifogle as last seen on March 4 at the Pine Cove Market, three miles north of Idyllwild. Search teams looked in the area for days, but only found his backpack on a nearby, rugged trail.

I was going to say Prifogle got lost on a trail and it's not the same, or part of the mystery of the others missing, but no one found his remains. What happened to him? Is it that hard to find people lost on the trails?

Do they ever use cadaver dogs on the trails or some other kind of equipment?

 

[AntBird]

Mitrice Richardson. Could these all be linked somehow?

a suspect was indicted b

I was going to say Prifogle got lost on a trail and it's not the same, or part of the mystery of the others missing, but no one found his remains. What happened to him? Is it that hard to find people lost on the trails?

Do they ever use cadaver dogs on the trails or some other kind of equipment?

I would not be surprised if remains were snatched up by coyotes, mountain lions or in the rare case for that area-- bears.

"Prifogle’s car was found on Acorn Lane in Pine Cove and bloodhounds were used to track from his car with no success, according to Parsons."

Looks like they used bloodhounds
Pine Cove man missing since March 4 • Idyllwild Town Crier

 

[Curious Me]

This woman, Lydia “Dia” Abrams, is a millionaire and has a ranch in the area. Where is she? This strikes me as a puzzling mystery because she went missing from her ranch. I imagine LE knows if her cell phone and/or any personal belongings are missing. It's been one month now and she still hasn't been found.

Detectives investigate 6 missing person cases in and around Idyllwild
RE: Lydia “Dia” Abrams from the news article

Eleven miles east of Idyllwild in Apple Canyon is the sprawling Bonita Vista Ranch, owned by former La Jolla resident and millionaire Lydia “Dia” Abrams.

Abrams was reported missing from her ranch on June 7, according to a Riverside Sheriff’s spokesperson. Search teams spent two days on the ranch looking for the 66-year-old woman, but she remains missing.

Dia Abrams is the widow of the late Clem Abrams, a successful La Jolla developer, who passed away in 2018.

ETA-- from the ranch link above, it's a 116 acre ranch estate. There's 22 photos of the property.

 

[AntBird]

I found Jade, Lydia and Venessa on Facebook. Both have public profiles.

Jade is a daily poster who was starting a new business. She seems very optimistic about the future and has a lot of plans. She and I also have some "friends of friends" in common.

Lydia has a private profile but I can see a few pictures-- nothing telling.

Both Jade and Lydia seems to have links to the ranching community so potentially one thing in common.

Venessa has just a few posts from 2017 and they seem a bit chaotic, like her life may have some significant challenges.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link social media profiles here so let me know if that's okay and I'll add them.

 

[whitelilac]

The Bonita Vista Ranch is quite an estate, huge home, several buildings, extensive grounds. Surely Dia Abrams had a staff, groundskeepers, help with her animals? Living alone there, she could not have taken care of it on her own.
Since it was also a venue for weddings, there's no telling how many visitors or workers she had there.

I feel bad about her disappearance, she made quite the decision to move to that ranch being a widow for only two years.

 

[Curious Me]

CORRECTION MADE TO ORIGINAL POST.

NOW CORRECTED. It gets confusing with so many people missing. I needed to attach names, faces, ages, and when they went missing. (I couldn't find an article that had their names under their pictures, so I did it and hope I got it right.) Sure hope this helps.

Detectives investigate 6 missing person cases in and around Idyllwild

Top Left to right

1. Roy Prifogle, 52 -- last seen on March 4
2. Lydia “Dia” Abrams, 66 -- missing from ranch June 7
3. Melissa Lane, 41 -- reported missing on July 4
   
4. Vanessa Vlasek, 27 -- missing since June 21
5. Jade Kemerer, 30 -- checked out Bluebird mid July
6. Rosario Garcia, 73 -- missing nearby Hemet since July 7

CORRECTION-- I found a pic of Vanessa on social media and realized she is the woman on the bottom left side. She's #4 in list.
Sorry.

 

[AntBird]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed due to rumor/hearsay>

Looking at Rosario's situation in comparison with Jade's...the common denominator is their cars. Jade was last seen on 7/25 in Riverside when her car broke down. Rosario's car was left in a very random place.

For reference, here's a map of where she lives (Hemet), where her car was found (Pinyon Pines) and Hesperia (where her family thinks she may have been headed. This route does have her going right through Mountain Center (maybe a carjacking?)

It also might be safe to assume that Rosario was in a fugue state due her potential Alzheimer's/dementia and got lost/walked off. I might go for a drive out that way this weekend (w/ my husband) just to burn off some quarantine boredom (if the Apple Valley fire conditions don't worsen.)

 

[AntBird]

Looking at Rosario's situation in comparison with Jade's...the common denominator is their cars. Jade was last seen on 7/25 in Riverside when her car broke down. Rosario's car was left in a very random place.

For reference, here's a map of where she lives (Hemet), where her car was found (Pinyon Pines) and Hesperia (where her family thinks she may have been headed. This route does have her going right through Mountain Center (maybe a carjacking?)

It also might be safe to assume that Rosario was in a fugue state due her potential Alzheimer's/dementia and got lost/walked off. I might go for a drive out that way this weekend (w/ my husband) just to burn off some quarantine boredom (if the Apple Valley fire conditions don't worsen.)


View attachment 258647

Here's the trailhead where Rosario's was found.

 

[Curious Me]

Glad we have some local people from that area here. Welcome!

MOO, the timeline of the five missing women is a "every two weeks type" pattern. A couple of the women did seem to have unplanned detours of their original plans.

Melissa Lane just got out of the car she was in and disappeared! She was fearless said her mom. Did she hitch a ride with a helpful stranger / killer?

It's possible Jade left the Bluebird Cottage Inn to drive to Ohio after her mother picked up her son and they flew back. Car trouble? Helpful stranger / killer? Stopping along the way and running into foul play?

I think Rosario got lost and her car got stuck. They think she had dementia. She might have wandered off. To me, that seems more likely. Why haven't they found any of these bodies though?

Lydia “Dia” apparently, fairly wealthy, was somewhere on her ranch property. As someone said, she must have had a staff of employees on that 116 acres. If that really is a wedding business site, then it gets lots of strangers coming onto the property. It's possible someone had their eye on her?

I don't have a strong opinion or gut feeling yet. It'd be great if LE shared more info. This is just my own thoughts, nothing conclusive.

Detectives investigate 6 missing person cases in and around Idyllwild
"So far, detectives have not released any evidence indicating foul play or that any of the six cases are related.

If you have any information, contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department."

 

[margarita25]

[URL="https://www.alltrails.com/us/california/idyllwild-pine-cove"]Best Trails near Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California | AllTrails
[/URL]
Sawmill Flats

 

[dulcinea]

Mitrice Richardson. Could these all be linked somehow?

Just to be clear, Malibu Creek and Idyllwild are about 140 miles apart. I don't see any sort of a connection.

 

[dulcinea]

Looking at Rosario's situation in comparison with Jade's...the common denominator is their cars. Jade was last seen on 7/25 in Riverside when her car broke down. Rosario's car was left in a very random place.

For reference, here's a map of where she lives (Hemet), where her car was found (Pinyon Pines) and Hesperia (where her family thinks she may have been headed. This route does have her going right through Mountain Center (maybe a carjacking?)

It also might be safe to assume that Rosario was in a fugue state due her potential Alzheimer's/dementia and got lost/walked off. I might go for a drive out that way this weekend (w/ my husband) just to burn off some quarantine boredom (if the Apple Valley fire conditions don't worsen.)


View attachment 258647

I'm curious to know if Rosario's car was found at the overlook near Pinyon Pines, but I suspect it would say that if indeed that's where it was left.

I can see the Apple Fire from my house. Smoke is drifting more northeast, away from I 10. It shouldn't be a problem. Air quality has not been an issue, either, at least not away from the direction the smoke is blowing.

 

[FeralStatic]

I made myself a cheat sheet from the article here: Six people now confirmed missing in area • Idyllwild Town Crier

Hope it helps. Photos at ^ link.

Rosario Garcia, 73, Hispanic/black hair/brown eyes. Last seen in Hemet. Possible dementia/ Alzheimer's. Reported missing 11:46 a.m. July 9 after her vehicle was found unoccupied in Pinyon Pines.

Lydia “Dia” Abrams, 65, blonde/blue : June 7, 8:24 a.m., Hemet Station Deputies were dispatched to the 58000 block of Bonita Vista in reference to (missing person) Lydia “Dia” Abrams. June 9, RMRU (?) volunteers searched her 160- acre ranch in Apple Canyon (between Mountain Center and Garner Valley), and more difficult areas (there) on June 10. The search ended at 6 p.m. and detectives took over.

Jade Kemerer, young (20's? MOO), white/light brown/green. Last seen at the Bluebird Inn in Idyllwild by her mother on July 22. Reported missing by friend 7/31 to RCSD.
According to (reporting friend from Ohio) deputies from RCSD responded to her last known address, which is Kemerer’s father’s home in the Anza area the morning of July 31, but he said he hadn’t seen her in two weeks.
“Hemet Station received a report of Jade Kemerer missing on Aug. 2. Deputies searched the Idlewild area.

Venessa Vlasek, 26, white/brown/brown. Reported missing July 31 to RCSD.. Mom has not seen or spoken to (her) since Mother’s Day. Last seen location unknown/Idlwild (mom).

Melissa Lane, 41, (white/red/green MOO) was last seen June 15 in Pine Cove. Mother called RCSD July 4 around 3:20 p.m.but no report taken as Melissa is an adult with no known destination. She is an avid hiker.

Roy Prifogle, (40-ish, MOO), white/blonde/blue. Reported missing after going on a hike in Pine Cove. Last seen March 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Pine Cove Market:

“After six full days of searching in between inclement weather, searching 8 to 10 hours per day, Prifogle has not been located. The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU), as well as search and rescue volunteers from San Bernardino County, Orange County and San Diego County were assisting. In total, about 150 people have been searching during those six days.” Also adding, “On the second or third day of the search, we found his backpack, but have found no other clues as to his whereabouts.”

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Roy Prifogle, Dia Abrams, Rosario Garcia, Melissa Lane, Jade Kemerer, or Venessa Vlasek, contact the RCSD immediately at 800-950-2444.

Credit to the author

Jade Kramer was last seen 7/30 from by a local exiting a local restaurant called The Gastronome across then across the town park. No mention of anyone else with her.
Since I am from the town I have access to a local FB group and people are trying to give information there. I can help in anyway I can.