Search Widens For Missing Morgan Hill Teen
MORGAN HILL (CBS SF) -- The search continues for missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, who disappeared after leaving her home Friday morning last week.
Officials found Sierra's cellphone intact in a field near the missing teen's home, but print examinations of the device yielded no new leads, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The phone will be submitted to the County Crime Lab to undergo more tests.
Investigators say they have interviewed more than 100 people in the case, 50 of them students at Ann Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill and Washington High School in Fremont, where Sierra was previously enrolled.
The sheriff's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Team (SAFE) is aiding in the investigation by visiting all registered sex offenders in the South Santa Clara County area, and will continue efforts by widening their radius beyond the 10 miles surrounding Sierra's mother's home, Sgt. Jose Cardoza said Wednesday morning.
There are 57 such registered offenders in the Morgan Hill zip code, according to an online national sex offender registry.
Although Sierra's father, Steve LaMar of Fremont, is a registered sex offender, sheriff's officials have said that he is not considered a suspect in the case.
Members of the community have joined Sierra's friends and family to distribute fliers with her photo and information.
Law enforcement officials have received 150 phone and email tips regarding the case, all of which are being followed up on, Cardoza said.
Cardoza said that although there was no evidence of foul play, there is also no evidence suggesting that Sierra was unhappy at home or that she ran away.
Sierra is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, with a thin build and was last seen carrying a Juicy brand black-and-pink purse.
Anyone with information about Sierra or her whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
