36 replies to this topic

[Lori Davis]

http://www.mercuryne...ch-sierra-lamar

Bay Area Congressman joining search for Sierra LaMar

Bay City News Service
Posted:  08/17/2012 06:37:09 AM PDT
Updated:  08/17/2012 06:37:16 AM PDT

Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, will be joining volunteers this Saturday as the search for missing teenager Sierra LaMar continues into its fifth month.

Sierra, 15, went missing on March 16 when she left for school from her Morgan Hill home and hasn't been seen since.

Searches organized through the KlaasKids Foundation have been ongoing since her disappearance, with a base set up at the Find Sierra LaMar Search Center at Burnett Elementary School at 85 Tilton Ave.

McNerney will participate in Saturday's 8 a.m. search -- his first time working with volunteers to find Sierra as a way to show solidarity with the Morgan Hill community and Sierra's family.

"When things like this happen in the community he acts," McNerney's office spokeswoman Lauren Smith said.

Sierra is believed to have been murdered and suspect Antolin Garcia-Torres, 21, was arrested on May 21 and charged with killing her after DNA believed to be that of Sierra was found in his red Volkswagen Jetta, according to Santa Clara County sheriff's officials.

Volunteers interested in joining searches for Sierra must be 18 years old and bring photo identification to the search center. Appropriate attire for searching outdoors is required.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.kionright...-to-review-case

Suspect in Sierra LaMar Case Not in Court, Attorney Asks for More Time to Review Case

Posted: Aug 29, 2012 6:23 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 29, 2012 6:23 PM EDT
By Tom Jones

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Antolin Garcia-Torres, the man authorities say they believe is responsible for Sierra LaMar's disappearance, was set to make an appearance in court today but did not.

Garcia-Torres' attorney asked the Santa Clara County Judge for the hearing to be continued.

The Santa Clara County Court Clerk's office says the Defense asked for more time to review evidence they received from the Prosecution in a discovery motion.

Antolin Garcia-Torres will be in court again on September 26th and has yet to enter a plea to the charges he faces.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.gilroydis...20179b3b61.html

Vigil Wednesday night for missing teen Sierra LaMar

Posted: Friday, August 31, 2012 11:46 am | Updated: 11:50 am, Fri Aug 31, 2012.
Posted on August 31, 2012
by Michael Moore

Volunteers as well as friends and family of Sierra LaMar will have a vigil at City Hall Wednesday to raise funds for the ongoing efforts to find the missing teen, and to bring awareness to her disappearance which is approaching the six-month mark.

The “Light the Night” vigil will begin at about 8 p.m. at Morgan Hill City Hall, 17555 Peak Ave. The public is invited.

Volunteers at the Sierra Search Center at Burnett Elementary School, 85 Tilton Ave., will be selling LED votives for $5 each at the school all day Wednesday, where search efforts coordinated by the KlaasKids Foundation will take place throughout the day.

Participants are encouraged to wear glow-in-the-dark bracelets which will also be available at the school. Posters, T-shirts and “anything else to show your support” are also encouraged, organizer Jennifer Koziel said.

Transportation will be available from the search center to City Hall, and carpooling is encouraged. Anyone who needs a ride from the search center should be there by 7:30 p.m.

Sierra, 15, has been missing since March 16, when police say she was kidnapped on the way to her school bus stop near Palm and Dougherty avenues, and likely later murdered. Sierra was a sophomore at Sobrato High School at the time of her disappearance.

Koziel, 33, will fly out from Chicago to host the vigil. After hearing about Sierra’s case in the news, Koziel was moved enough to fly to Morgan Hill in June to participate in the volunteer search efforts for about a week.

Koziel does not know Sierra and did not have any connection to her family before hearing about the case, but she was inspired to react out of a need to help a hurting family, and to do what she can to prevent similar future incidents.

“It’s an epidemic - every day girls are going missing,” said Koziel, a human resources professional. “The laws protect the perpetrator, and not the victims. I just said I have to do something, and take a stand.”

She added on her first trip to Morgan Hill in June she “made a whole new family” among the volunteers she worked with.

“It was a great experience,” Koziel said.

All funds raised at the vigil will go to the Sierra LaMar Search Fund.

Organizers will start the vigil by playing some of Sierra’s favorite songs over a PA system, and some people will speak before the vigil moves into the courtyard adjacent to City Hall, Koziel said.

Every attendee will be asked to place their luminary on the ground “until we have filled the entire court with light,” Koziel said.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.gilroydis...7a46f2ed11.html

Sheriff's confirm body found in Aromas is not Sierra LaMar

Posted: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 12:30 pm | Updated: 12:48 pm, Tue Sep 11, 2012.
Kollin Kosmicki

An autopsy conducted Monday on the body discovered off Cannon Road did not confirm a cause of death, although investigators now believe the unidentified female victim was “possibly” between ages 20 and 35 and “possibly” Asian or Hispanic, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses found the body Friday off Cannon Road near Aromas, but authorities could not initially confirm details about the victim. In a statement to the media, the sheriff's office said it still needs more evidence processed in order to determine a cause of death and identity.

Although there remains little confirmed about the victim, Sgt. Tony Lamonica with the sheriff’s office did verify that it was not the body of Sierra LaMar, the 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl missing since March.

He also said investigators remain unsure whether foul play was involved and that it appears as though the person, when discovered, had been deceased for a couple days.

The sheriff’s office, which acts as the county coroner in San Benito County, noted the description that included the estimated age and possible ethnic background, along with other traits such as dark hair and dark-colored eyes.

Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s office at (831) 636-4080 or the tip line at 636-4084.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nbcbayare...-168764846.html

Sierra LaMar Vigil Keeps Hope Alive
The teen went missing on March 16.

By George Kiriyama |  Thursday, Sep 6, 2012  |  Updated 1:16 PM PDT

Though the missing teen is presumed dead, the community in Morgan Hill held a special service for Sierra LaMar on Wednesday night, hoping for her return. U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren was just one high-profile person to attend. George Kiriyama reports.

The words "give up" and "quit" are not in their vocabulary.

For almost six months, the family and friends of missing Morgan Hill teenager Sierra Lamar have dedicated their lives to finding her.

On Wednesday night, in front of the Morgan Hill library, they sent a clear message: Our job is not done. We will find Sierra and we will bring her home to her family.

They then used paper bags with LED candles inside of them and spelled out the word "Hope" on the lawn. They wanted to "light the night" and "show the way" for Sierra.

"There are days as it gets longer and longer, sometimes I question about her recovery," Marlene Lamar, Sierra's mother, said. "And then these people do things like that and it helps lift us up and raise my hopes as well."

Sierra Lamar has been missing since March 16 when investigators say she was kidnapped while on her way to school.

Boosting her family's spirits was San Jose congresswoman Zoe Lofgren who stopped by the volunteer center on Wednesday to offer her support.

During her visit, she promised to push state lawmakers to put a new law on the books - a law many say could have made the difference in this case.

"When a child doesn't show up at school you know notify the parents right away rather than the end of the school day whether a child has been abducted or is merely playing hooky," Lofgren said. "It's something the parents should know right away."

Lamar's parents support Lofgren's proposal.

"No parent should have to go through that length of time to wait and it shouldn't take something like this to get it going, but sometimes things like this happen," Marlene Lamar said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said the search for LaMar will continue.

"We want to keep this alive," Smith said. "So we can continue to search and continue to get more information. We want the public to tell us more."

The suspect in this case, Antolin Garcia Torres, will appear in court later this month. He has yet to enter a plea to the murder and kidnapping charges he faces.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.mercuryne...en-sierra-lamar

Father of accused killer of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar goes on trial for molestation

By Tracey Kaplan
Posted:  09/20/2012 10:14:20 AM PDT
Updated:  09/20/2012 10:14:42 AM PDT

Defense attorneys frequently bring up an accused killer's beleaguered childhood, hoping to soften up a judge or jury and secure a more lenient sentence. But even before Antolin Garcia-Torres is tried next year in the killing of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, his dysfunctional family background surfaced Wednesday in a highly unusual way -- during his father's trial on child molestation charges.

Genaro Garcia Fernandez, 51, is charged in Santa Clara County Superior Court with 18 sex crimes against two female relatives. Prosecutors allege he first fondled the primary victim when she was 4 years old and began raping her periodically when she was just 7 -- in the same small San Martin home where his son, Garcia-Torres, grew up.

If Fernandez is convicted, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Garcia-Torres, 21, is also facing a life sentence. Prosecutors allege he kidnapped and killed LaMar, who disappeared from Morgan Hill on March 16. Her body has never been found. But her DNA was in Garcia-Torres' car.

The jury of 10 women and two men in Fernandez's trial will not be told of his connection to the accused killer. Garcia-Torres' father's history also will not figure in the son's trial, though it may come up during sentencing if he is convicted of killing LaMar.

Garcia-Torres' family background may ultimately be seen as grounds for sympathy or merely as the pathological root of his suspected criminality. But his father's case offers a glimpse into what life was like in the family home where Garcia-Torres was raised.

'Broke cycle'

According to court documents, Fernandez was convicted during the 1980s of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol. It was unclear Wednesday how much time he served in prison away from his family.

The female relative who claims Fernandez molested her for years came forward last summer, about 11 months before Garcia-Torres was arrested on suspicion of killing the Morgan Hill teen. The molestation charges against Fernandez were also filed well before his son was arrested.

In a powerful 20-minute opening statement, prosecutor Murat Ozgur said the young woman reported the abuse to protect her own children after living for years with an unbearable secret that poisoned her childhood.

"She decided this secret could no longer be kept," he said. "She broke the cycle."

Ozgur said Fernandez eventually apologized to the young woman in a phone call police recorded and also in a letter. But Ozgur said it wasn't a true apology.

"He explained, she wanted it, she liked it," Ozgur told an attentive jury of 10 women and two men. "He claimed he didn't take her virginity."

According to the prosecutor's translation of the letter Fernandez wrote in Spanish, Garcia-Torres' father also said, "You know we did have sex, but it was for the pleasure of the two."

Defense attorney Thompson Sharkey reserved his opening statement until after the prosecutor presents his case. His client, dressed in a baggy black suit and bearing a stubbly mustache, spent much of the day hunched over, avoiding the eyes of the witnesses, including his wife and accusers.

Blocked the door

But the 5-feet-4-inch Fernandez, according to the witnesses, ruled his house with an iron hand.

"He hit me," his wife Laura Torres tearfully testified, "a lot."

Speaking in a monotone that belied the gravity of her words, the second accuser said she once saw Fernandez whip the other victim with a "cord." She also said the primary victim would basically barricade her bedroom by pulling out the drawers of a bureau to block the entryway.

When she was 5 years old, the primary victim first reported that Fernandez had been touching her inappropriately.

"When I confronted her father, he said she had been swinging outside on the swing and maybe just had a rash," on her bottom, Torres testified.

But she remained mistrustful, recalling one incident when she came home to a terrified little girl. Fernandez's wife said she was so suspicious, she finally took out a figurine of Christ and asked her husband to speak the truth.

"He swore to me by Christ and his mother he had never touched her," Torres said.

But her worries didn't disappear entirely, especially after her husband became inexplicably enraged when the accuser -- by then a teenager -- went out on a date.

When Torres tried to reassure him it was normal, "He would tell me what I wanted was for her to be a whore like I was.'

[Shannon]

http://www.mercuryne...hope-girls-16th

Sierra LaMar's friends, family cling to hope as girl's 16th birthday nears

By Chris De Benedetti,

Posted:  10/17/2012 03:30:31 PM PDT
Updated:  10/17/2012 05:21:25 PM PDT

FREMONT -- A teenager's 16th birthday is supposed to be a sweet celebration. But Sierra LaMar's "sweet 16" on Friday looms instead as a dark reminder that the Fremont-raised girl who disappeared seven months ago still has not been found.

"We're not in a real celebratory mood," said Marlene LaMar, Sierra's mother. "That's probably going to be the toughest day in terms of missing her."

There have been many tough, emotional days since March 16, the day Sierra disappeared while trying to catch a school bus in Morgan Hill, where she'd moved five months earlier with her mother. But her birthday comes at an especially rough time. Once-regular Wednesday searches have been halted while the remaining Saturday searches of Morgan Hill's rural roads and fields have yielded little. Meanwhile, public interest in the case has slowly but steadily waned. A suspect has been arrested and charged with her murder and kidnapping but that has not brought new information about her whereabouts.

In Fremont, the city that Sierra considered home, those who know her best say they will never rest until she is found. Until then, a version of Sierra is always with them, they say, as memories of her often come rushing back involuntarily when they drive by her old Tri-City-area hangouts or hear her favorite songs.

Trudie Matheson, a retired second-grade teacher, remembers a quiet, sensitive little girl at Parkmont Elementary. She recalls how Sierra -- without any prompting from adults -- helped a boy in her class who had shown major behavioral problems. She took him under her wing and tutored him, and the boy's rowdy behavior started to improve.

"She was sensitive to his needs," Matheson said. "Someone who was as calm and quiet as she was, it would be natural that she would help him. She just naturally got along with everybody."

Wendy Haddock, Sierra's dance instructor at Mission Dance & Performing Arts, remembers "a shy girl" of 11 or 12 on the verge of coming out of her shell. She was eager to please yet wasn't afraid to slightly roll her eyes when instructors raised their voices, and she excelled at lyrical performances, where students' self-expression is most on display. "Sierra was a really good dancer," Haddock said.

Friends say that, by the time Sierra began attending Washington High School two years ago, her shyness had given way to a witty, outsize personality that "drew the laughter out" of quieter kids. "She enjoys being silly," Marlene LaMar said. "She feels she can lift anyone's spirit when they're down."

Channah Foreman, 17, befriended Sierra while both were on the Washington High cheer team. Foreman said Sierra never missed a chance to make friends laugh by rapping along to her favorite song: "Gucci Gucci" by Kreayshawn, a female Oakland rapper. "People called her 'Little Kreay' because she knew all the words," she said. "It was always funny to watch."

Sixteen-year-old Claire Normoyle said she met Sierra in a Centerville Junior High School math class, where the instructor separated them "because we were always talking and passing notes." Today, she thinks about Sierra when shopping at NewPark Mall or walking with friends to the McDonald's on Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard, where the pair often hung out.

While her "rap career" was a running joke she shared with friends, Sierra's real dream was to be a makeup artist, and her interest in fashion was growing and growing.

Sierra's friends say the trauma of her disappearance has changed them. Foreman was at another friend's Fremont house when she learned Sierra went missing. "I pretty much can't ever go back to that house now," Foreman said. "Sierra was like the younger sister I never had, that's basically all I can say."

Normoyle said she now is a much more cautious person. "I used to jog by myself or walk my dogs by myself, but not anymore," Normoyle said. "I'd love to find Sierra. Until then, I'll be worried about her, 24/7."

Through it all, Sierra's immediate family -- sister Danielle; and parents Steve and Marlene LaMar, who are divorced -- are doing their best to remain positive.

Danielle, 22, said she tries to give emotional support to her parents. "But every once in a while we all break down," she said. "We can't always stay strong."

Antolin Garcia Torres, 21, of Morgan Hill, was arrested May 21 and charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with Sierra's disappearance. Five months after his arrest, Torres still has not entered a plea to the charges. Until there is progress, the LaMars say they will avoid Torres' legal proceedings, preferring to focus on finding Sierra.

They credit the volunteers at the Morgan Hill search center, based at the now-closed Burnett Elementary School, for always boosting their spirits.

Carol Salinger, a Fremont neighbor of Steve LaMar's, has been a regular volunteer searcher from the beginning. She said she makes the 80-mile round-trip drive between Fremont and Morgan Hill almost every Saturday because "this is the kind of thing that people who know each other need to do for each other."

Salinger -- echoing nearly everyone close to the LaMars -- said she is not giving up hope that one day Sierra will be found. "Miracles happen every day," she said. "The best thing is for us to know what happened and to get a resolution."

[Shannon]

http://www.gilroydis...76fa0c568e.html

One year later: Sierra still missing

Posted: Thursday, March 14, 2013 4:00 pm

Nearly one year after Sierra LaMar vanished from her north Morgan Hill home at the age of 15, sheriff’s investigators still follow up on occasional leads and flyers depicting the missing cheerleader’s vital information. Desperate pleads for information on her whereabouts remain on display throughout town, and a suspect believed to have killed the young woman remains in jail.

A core group of volunteers - about 40 - continue to report to the Sierra Search Center at Burnett Elementary School every Saturday to search for any sign of what happened to the missing Sobrato High School freshman. A $35,000 reward for information leading to Sierra’s whereabouts - offered by her parents - remains on the table.

Saturday, March 16 marks the one-year anniversary of Sierra’s disappearance, a somber milestone for her parents.

“We were hoping that day wouldn’t happen, but it is,” said Sierra’s father, Steve LaMar, 50 of Fremont. “The thing that got us through so far is the community that’s come out and volunteered, and the friends and family that have supported us.”

This Saturday, Sierra’s parents, family, friends and volunteers are planning a 9 a.m. balloon release and press conference to commemorate the unfortunate milestone Saturday morning at the former elementary school campus, located at 85 Tilton Ave. in Morgan Hill. The volunteers will also conduct a search for Sierra, as they have done at least once a week for almost a year.

Later Saturday in Fremont - Sierra’s former community - volunteers and the KlaasKids Foundation will host a community awareness and fundraising event to support the search efforts and honor the memory of Sierra.

That event will take place 1 to 5 p.m. at Niles Hall in Fremont, 37270 Niles Blvd.

While frustration at the lack of results in the ongoing search efforts overcomes the volunteers at times, the searchers who remain are committed to providing help and support to Sierra’s heartbroken family.

“It takes your breath away,” volunteer Debbie Nunes, 53, said of her reaction sometimes when she is reminded of Sierra’s disappearance, as when she recently saw two large posters of Sierra that remain posted on the walls inside Sobrato High School.

“You do get a little discouraged, and people have stopped searching but there’s still a few that remain strong that will see the family through this effort. It’s been one year too long,” said Nunes, who has been a regular participant in organized search efforts since late March 2012.

Sierra moved to Morgan Hill from Fremont with her mother Marlene LaMar about six months before her disappearance. She attended Washington High School before moving. The missing teen was a cheerleader at the school, and also continued cheering with the San Jose Black Diamond Elite club team after her move to Morgan Hill.

Investigators from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office say Sierra was kidnapped early in the morning of March 16, 2012, just outside her home near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues while walking to her normal school bus stop about a half-mile away.

For weeks following Sierra’s disappearance, police officers and sheriff’s detectives from area jurisdictions scoured the hills and valley surrounding her home in search of any sign of where she went. Within the first few days, police found some of her belongings - her mobile phone and a bag that belonged to her, containing some of her clothing - on roadsides near her home, but have not reported finding anymore of her possessions.

The only other evidence reportedly found by investigators is DNA linking Sierra to Antolin Garcia Torres, 21 of Morgan Hill, who sits in Santa Clara County Jail on the charge of murder, with the special circumstance of kidnapping, in relation to Sierra’s disappearance. Garcia Torres was arrested for the crime May 21.

Active law enforcement involvement - as well as tips received that used to flow into the sheriff’s office - have dropped off in the last eight months or so. In early May 2012, investigators reportedly received more than 2,000 tips related to the case from concerned citizens.

For the year of her disappearance, the total number of tips received by the sheriff’s office is about 2,700, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Cardoza. Examples of tips include reported sightings and suggested areas where investigators should search. Tips have been received from across the country, from New Jersey to Texas.

Detectives follow up on each tip they receive, Cardoza said.

Volunteers organized by Sierra’s parents and the KlaasKids Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding missing children which has been involved in the search for Sierra since the beginning, have continued the search in a sustained effort. But the volunteer searchers’ numbers have dropped off significantly one year later.

Cecilia Ponzini, 61 of Morgan Hill, is another volunteer who has helped with the search for Sierra since it started nearly a year ago. Her devotion to the search and to Sierra’s parents - who she did not know before the teen went missing - stems from her own loss of a son at the age of 29 to a heart attack.

“I thought (Sierra) would be found quickly,” said Ponzini, who has helped register volunteers, organize provisions in the search center’s kitchen and raise money for the efforts. “She should be home already. Or at least (Sierra’s parents) should know where she’s at. It’s different when you watch your child get buried. Not knowing (where Sierra is) is what drives me to go back.”

Marc Klaas, founder of KlaasKids Foundation, didn’t think the search for Sierra would last a year either.

But he added that of the hundreds of searches for missing children Klaas has been involved in, the search for Sierra has been “the largest sustained search on a weekly basis” that the nonprofit foundation has been part of.

Klaas started the foundation shortly after his daughter, Polly Klaas, was kidnapped at the age of 12 from her Petaluma home in 1993 and murdered.

“They wake up every morning, and they don’t know where Sierra is,” Klaas said of Sierra’s parents. “How horrible is that. That’s the worst possible scenario you can imagine: The fear of the unknown, that she’s dead or being tortured.”

Klaas added another unique aspect of the search for Sierra is the continued outpouring of support from the community.

For Saturday’s fundraiser in Fremont, a number of area businesses donated items to be raffled off, including Safeway, Nob Hill, Fortino Winery, Cinnabar Hills golf course, Coyote Creek golf course and Guglielmo Winery, Nunes said.

“It’s amazing the community still comes together to support and hold up this family that’s going through this tragedy,” said Nunes, who has helped in numerous aspects of the search.

Garcia Torres has not yet pleaded to the charge of killing Sierra. His next scheduled court date is April 4 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. Since his arrest, Garcia Torres has also been charged with three unrelated kidnapping attempts that occurred in the parking lots of two Safeway grocery stores in March 2009.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Sierra LaMar can contact the sheriff’s office at (408) 299-2311, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431. Tips can also be emailed to tips@sheriff.sccgov.org

[Deborah]

Sierra is still missing.
There is a fundraiser planed for Dec 16, 2013
Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, San Jose, CA
Details can be found at:
http://findsierralamar.com

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nbcbayare...-254922331.html

 

Marc Klaas: Sheriff "Stonewalled" Search for Sierra LaMar

 

By Damian Trujillo |  Friday, Apr 11, 2014  |  Updated 9:41 PM PDT

 

In a new twist in the heated battle for sheriff of Santa Clara County, missing-child advocate Marc Klaas has come out against sitting Sheriff Laurie Smith, saying she's "stonewalled" the search for the body of Sierra LaMar.

 

Klaas is the father of Polly Klaas, the 12-year-old Petaluma girl who was kidnapped and murdered in 1993 by Richard Allen Davis, now on California’s Death Row. Klaas has since been active in helping dozens of families across the country search for missing loved ones.

 

On Friday, Klaas announced he is endorsing Smith’s opponent retired Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Jensen. The two are the only ones running in the June 3 election.

 

Below is Marc Klaas's statement, obtained exclusively by NBC Bay Area. Smith declined to respond to requests for comment, but her campaign political consultant did send a statement via text message. That response, which calls Klaas's statement "misinformed," is also pasted below.

 

My name is Marc Klaas and I am the father of Polly Klaas.

 

I wish to add my name to the growing list of law enforcement fraternal organizations, business leaders who are supporting Kevin Jensen’s candidacy for Sheriff of Santa Clara County. Although I am not a resident of Santa Clara County I have had opportunities to interact with Sheriff Laurie Smith and firmly believe that the citizens of Santa Clara County deserve a new direction and new leadership in the public safety arena.

 

During the days and months following the disappearance of Sierra LaMar I worked with her family and a large volunteer force to organize and establish the Sierra Search Center. Many thousands of individuals have volunteered time and tens of thousands of hours have been donated to assist with the search for Sierra LaMar. The Sierra Search Center, now run by Sierra’s family and a core group of volunteers, has now entered its third year.

 

Throughout the process of searching for Sierra we reached out to the Sheriff Smith on many occasions requesting passive information that would not impact the case, but might assist our efforts to better focus on viable search areas. Unfortunately, despite the fact that her office no longer dispatches SAR teams to look for Sierra LaMar, Sheriff Laurie Smith has ignored all of our requests.

 

I have been involved in organizing civilian search efforts since my daughter Polly was kidnapped in 1993. None of the numerous searches that we have engaged have ever been stonewalled by the jurisdictional law enforcement like the search for Sierra LaMar.

 

Sierra LaMar remains missing and Santa Clara County needs a new Sheriff. Join me in supporting the candidacy of Kevin Jensen for Santa Clara County Sheriff.

 

Sincerely,

 

Marc Klaas

 

Response from Sheriff Smith's campaign political consultant:

 

"It is sad that Mr. Klass is so thoroughly misinformed on this subject. No individual has done more to protect the public from the suspect or followed up more leads in the search for Sierra LaMarr. It is unfortunate that Mr. Klass is being used for political purposes in this way. This continues to be an ongoing investigation and the Sheriff will do nothing to prejudice the case against the suspect. She cannot comment and her uninformed opponents know it. That said, as a Mother, she will not rest until Sierra is found and the perpetrator brought to justice."

[Lori Davis]

http://abcnews.go.co...n-case-23780536

 

Death Penalty Sought in Missing Teen Case

 

SAN JOSE, Calif. May 19, 2014 (AP)

Associated Press

 

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a man charged with kidnapping and killing a 15-year-old Northern California girl whose body has not been found, the District Attorney's Office said on Monday.

 

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said he made the decision to seek capital punishment against Antolin Garcia-Torres in the 2012 disappearance of Sierra LaMar after a "comprehensive review" by a committee of senior prosecutors.

 

"I have concluded that this defendant should face the ultimate penalty," Rosen said. He said he would not be making any additional comments to ensure that Garcia-Torres receives a fair trial.

 

Garcia-Torres has pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges in the Sierra case. He is also accused of attempting to kidnap three women during carjackings in 2009.

 

Messages for his attorneys were not immediately returned. Sierra's family was pleased with Rosen's decision, cousin Keith LaMar told the San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/Sb3D6w).

 

"We're glad the DA has chosen to do the right thing," he said. "I don't personally feel society would be safe with someone like that back in it. The best result that could come out of this is that Sierra would come home to us and that hasn't happened."

 

Sierra, who remains missing, was last seen by her family leaving her Morgan Hill home for school in March 2012. Her school books, purse and clothing were found near a shed in a field about 2 miles from her home on March 18.

 

Garcia-Torres was arrested two months later, after authorities say they found Sierra's DNA in his car and his DNA in her handbag. Investigators seized Garcia-Torres' Volkswagen Jetta on April 7 from a trailer he shared with his mother, girlfriend and young daughter.

 

Garcia-Torres lived about 7 miles from LaMar.

 

Sheriff's officials have said Sierra and Garcia-Torres did not know each other. Her abduction is believed to be a random act of violence.

 

Rosen discussed his decision to pursue the death penalty with Sierra's family. Keith LaMar, who participated in the discussion, said Rosen told family members he was not using the death penalty as a bargaining chip that would be taken away if Garcia-Torres led investigators to Sierra's body.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nbcbayare...-296202011.html

 

3-Year Search For Missing Morgan Hill Teen Sierra LaMar Comes to Close

"It basically boiled down to just not having viable search areas at this point," Steve Lamar, Sierra's father said.

 

By Robert Handa and Nannette Miranda

Updated at 2:31 PM PDT on Sunday, Mar 15, 2015

 

The nearly three-year search for Sierra LaMar ended on Saturday.

 

The Sierra LaMar Search Center has been conducting weekly searches since the Morgan Hill teen went missing on March 16, 2012. Volunteers have put in more than 50,000 hours of time looking for her body. The 15-year-old was last seen on her way to a school bus stop.

 

The last formal search for Sierra LaMar concentrated in the Coyote Creek area of Morgan Hill.

 

“We’re especially looking for depressions that could have been easy to place to conceal a body then cover it up,” search team leader Kelby Jones said.

 

A new poster for Sierra LaMar was introduced at the final search on Saturday. The poster, recommended by child advocate Marc Klaas and approved by the LaMar family, showed Sierra over a shot of volunteers sporting her favorite red sneakers.

 

"We always want people to know that Sierra matters for all of our girls," said Debbie Nunes, a volunteer who has helped in the searches. "Children in general, they're vulnerable -- they matter so much. And we need to be sure they're always safe."

 

Search coordinators emphasize a tip line will remain active with an on-call search unit ready to be mobilized.

 

"That helps a lot," said Steve LaMar, Sierra's father. "We don't have to feel like 'everything's coming to an end' and 'we don't have anything else' -- that type of thing thing. So yeah, that helps a lot."

 

But the decision to end the Saturday searches was still painful to him.

 

“At this point, we’ve exhausted our inventory of viable search areas," Steve LaMar said. "So that’s why we’re suspending it for now.”

 

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With the formal searches now over, Sierra's mother tearfully thanked volunteers Saturday.

 

“We never thought this was going to happen to us, but it did," Marlene LaMar said. "And really, everybody, including the media, really helped to sustain us. We don’t want to give up.”

 

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said its investigation is still active and acknowledged the support it got from the search center over the years.

 

"We got a lot of help from them, we got a lot of tips," Sgt. James Jensen said. "They did a lot of hard work. They were out there for days on end, running and walking around in the mud. They were out in the sun. Extremely disappointing they are closing."

 

Even without a body, 23-year-old Antolin Garcia-Torres has been charged in her death. His lawyer last week told a judge he needed at least another six weeks to prepare for the murder trial. The district attorney is seeking the death penalty in the case.

 

Searchers believe Garcia-Torres knows where her body is and are begging him to end their pain by telling them the location.

 

“One person knows who did this, and he can end this agony for this family right now,” Klaas said.

 

Torres is scheduled to return to court April 8 for another trial-setting date.

 

NBC Bay Area Legal Analyst Steven Clark said the end of the searches could impact the case, including speeding up proceedings.

 

"This is a very big watershed moment in the case. What this signals is the investigation is closing. And now it's time to try the case," Clark said in a previous interview. "As long as those searches were continuing, this was a 'fluid' investigation, which also encouraged some of these delays."