Saratoga

Missing Saratoga teen's car found empty in the Santa Cruz Mountains

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The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office on Monday recovered the car of missing Saratoga teen Katherine "Katie" Schneider, but she was nowhere to be found.

Schneider's Honda Accord was found on Skyline Boulevard near Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the sheriff's office said. No one was inside.

The sheriff's office said it had no further updates.

Schneider was last seen July 5 leaving her home in the white 2019 Honda Accord, the sheriff's office said. Her family said she did not have her cell phone.

According to a social media post by Schneider's mother, the family notified the sheriff's office as soon as she went missing and has delayed going public, in part, because "we wished to honor their efforts to find Katie. At the same time, because Katie is a shy, introverted child, we have tried to protect her privacy."

Irene Frazier said Schneider, her cross country teammate, was about to start her senior year at Saratoga High School next week.

"She was such a good student and so focused on her grades and getting into a good college and all that," Frazier said. "I’m very concerned."

NBC Bay Area reached out to the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union School District for a comment but did not receive a response.

Schneider is approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 115 pounds. She has blue eyes and straight blonde hair, the sheriff's office said.

Anyone with information about Schneider's whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at 408-808-4500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 408-808-4431 or email PIO@shf.sccgov.org.

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