Crime & Safety

Police Cautious in Choices of Info Released on LaMar Case

Working under the assumption Sierra LaMar is alive, investigators divulge little in order to protect her.

Aware of criticism by some who say police are making public enough detail in the Sierra LaMar case, police move forward saying they err on the side of caution—and the side of protecting the 15-year-old missing Morgan Hill girl.

“A lot of people don’t understand it’s the way it goes—they’ve got to protect her,” said Davina Joy, who volunteers with the , the nonprofit organizing weekly searches for Sierra.

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The belief that  is based on a lack of evidence proving otherwise, and has provided hope for a positive outcome.

“I heard Marlene and Steve LaMar say it’s pretty much breathing new life into people who have watched [the case] over the last couple of months,” Joy said. “We hope [investigators] are doing everything they can to prove that’s correct.”

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Sheriff’s investigators have been working with multiple local and federal agencies to investigate leads in the case, and have been following up on hundreds of tips relayed from the public. The sheriff's office received more than 2,000 tips as of Thursday.

The that investigators are associating with the kidnapping of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar has yet to undergo forensic examination, and it’s not clear when it will happen.

“The vehicle is in evidence, and will be examined at some point,” Santa Clara County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.

Cardoza also said investigators aren't specifically commenting on what they’re looking for, and that they've identified the owner of the car, but haven't named any persons of interest.

Limited details about the vehicle——are being released as a precaution: Investigators don’t want to compromise the case and subsequently harm Sierra, who they believe is still alive.

Anyone with information about the Jetta and its occupants is asked to contact sheriff's investigators at 408-808-4500 or to call the anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431. 

Patch will have an update on the VW Jetta when and if more information becomes available.
 

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