Sheriff's investigators were on two Bay Area high school campuses as they continued to search for a teenager who was last seen leaving for school in Morgan Hill Friday morning.
Sierra Lamar's mother was notified that her daughter had not attended classes by the school's automated attendance system at 6 p.m. Friday. The 15-year-old has not been seen since leaving for class Friday morning at 6 a.m.
Officers spent hours over the weekend searching on foot and from a helicopter near the girl's home for any sign of her, but found few clues other than her cell phone.
Searchers said they found the phone along the side of the road near Sierra's home near Palm and Dougherty avenues as if it were tossed from a vehicle.
They are now doing forensics on the phone as well as the girl's laptop, according to the sheriff's. They said Monday that the ground and air searchers were complete, and will now focus their attention on computer history and interviews with her friends. Her mother said her daughter left behind her cell phone charger in her room.
The girl moved to Morgan Hill this year after growing up in Fremont.
Sheriff’s investigators said they are contacting and interviewing students at both Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill and Washington High School in Fremont for information or leads that could assist in the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office said its Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement team Task Force is also assisting with the investigation and is contacting all known persons convicted of prior sexual assault related crimes in the South County area as a precaution. The purpose of contacting the people with priors in the area is to confirm their whereabouts during the time Sierra went missing. It is done in all missing child cases.
Sierra (pictured above and to the right) is 5 feet 2 inches tall and has a thin build. She was last seen with her Juicy brand black and pink purse.
The Santa Clara sheriff's department set up a command post Sunday at Palm and Santa Teresa.
Sierra's mother gave NBC Bay Area a cell phone photo she said Sierra took the morning before she disappeared.
Local
In it she certainly appears to be a typical happy teenager.
NBC Bay Area's Marianne Favro visited Sierra's former school in Fremont Monday and spoke to several close friends who swore that Sierra is not the type to run away.
Flyers and posters cover the campus in hopes that someone will know something and call police or her family.
One of Sierra's best friends, said they spent last weekend together and said she was adjusting well in Morgan Hill. Breanna Godlesky said the news of her disappearance is devastating.
Dozens of Washington students got together before class Monday and prayed for Sierra's safe return. A large group planned to fan out across the East Bay Monday night to blanket gas stations and fast food restaurants in Pleasanton, Livermore and Union City with flyers.
Anyone with information about Sierra or her whereabouts is asked to contact Santa Clara County Communications at (408) 299-2311. During business hours, tipsters can call sheriff's investigators at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
