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UC Davis Student Disappears After Release From Mental Health Hospital

DAVIS (CBS) - A search is underway for missing UC Davis student Linnea Lomax. Lomax was last seen Tuesday leaving an outpatient therapy center in the Sacramento area off Howe Avenue, and now flyers are being handed out in hopes of locating her.

More than 100 people, family, friends and total strangers all showed up to search for 19-year-old Lomax, who has been missing for more than 48 hours.

"I think people call it a nervous breakdown. I don't know if that's the technical term for it but she just got so stressed she broke down," said father Craig Lomax.

Craig said she's a perfectionist, a straight-A student and hard worker, always focused on doing her best. But after struggling with a class and a few physical injuries, she started to change.

"She had lost a lot of weight and she was very stressed, and she wasn't being reasonable," said Craig.

Linnea's family was so worried they pulled her out of school right before finals and put her into a mental health hospital for 10 days. Just a day after being released, she disappeared.

She doesn't have her medication and her family worries what could happen to her.

Friend Lexi Thorup said she spoke to Linnea days ago.

"She sounded really confused and scared. It didn't sound like the Linnea I know, and I just think the pressure from school just kind of got to her," said Thorup.

So as a volunteer search team was scouring the area near Fair Oaks and the American River. Her father had a message for Linnea:

"You know you're loved. I know that part of you still knows, but the other part's not working and we need you to call home," said Craig.

Linnea's family is asking people to call 911 immediately if they see her.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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