Post by Jay7777 on Oct 8, 2021 4:23:35 GMT
I would like to start a folder for missing people cases.
I'll start with: Lauren “El” Cho
A woman vanished from a home in the California desert in June and hasn't been seen since.
www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/us/lauren-cho-missing-woman/index.html
Los Angeles (CNN)When New Jersey native Lauren Cho moved to California late last year she dreamed of a fresh start.
The cross-country trip came at the right time, friends say, because the pandemic was wearing on her. A change of scenery was enticing and the 30-year-old was excited about the chance to work as a pastry chef. Her Instagram page is filled with her baked creations.
Cho, whom friends call "El," had been staying at an Airbnb home in the Yucca Valley, which is about a two-hour drive from Los Angeles and about 12 miles from Joshua Tree National Park, when she vanished in late June.
She hasn't been seen or heard from since.
The national attention on other missing person cases has renewed interest in the mystery surrounding her disappearance and the search has intensified.
Family and friends want answers. A spokesperson for San Bernardino Sheriff's Department told CNN it has conducted multiple searches in the last three months. Yet, despite the renewed interest in her case, they haven't gotten new substantive leads. Here's what we do know.
The investigation
The sheriff's department said Cho's ex-boyfriend reported her missing about three hours after she disappeared on June 28.
She was staying at the home in the Yucca Valley with friends, including her ex-boyfriend. Friends reported that she was "upset and presumably walked away from the resort, leaving behind her personal belongings," according to San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
Cho is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow T-shirt and jean shorts when she left the home.
As the sheriff's department and volunteers scoured the area, so did Cho's friends.
"We have gone thousands of miles and tirelessly went to gas stations and pasted up flyers in the the low desert, the high desert," a friend, Jeff Frost said. "We went out to San Diego because she said in the week before she disappeared that she just wanted to go to the beach."
Investigators say the ex-boyfriend "indicated she was suffering from mental distress."
Although the family told CNN that they have no official statement, they have created a Facebook page to post updates on the investigation and raise awareness. The page also asks the public to refrain from speculation about the case and Cho's mental health at the time of her disappearance.
In recent weeks, law enforcement have come under scrutiny for the extensive resources used to search for Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Petito's remains were found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. A coroner later made an initial ruling that her death was a homicide.
Cho is among several other people who disappeared this summer. But Cho's family posted a statement in mid September citing that the cases are different.
"We realize that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities. We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage.
Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye."
Who is she?
Cho's sister told CNN that Cho is a "dynamic, firecracker of a person who is creative and funny."
"She's super caring, very loving and just a really loyal and good friend," her friend Len Gherardi said.
Before she moved to California, Cho worked at Gherardi's tattoo studio in Flemington, New Jersey.
"The plan was I was going to teach her how to pierce so she was my apprentice,
" Gherardi said.
It's been three months since anyone has heard from Cho, and the family just wants information on her whereabouts. They continue to post on the Facebook page at least once a week.
"El is many things... a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for. But this is where El really shines: as an aunt," the family said in a Facebook post last month.
Another take on the case:
www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/-lauren-cho-friends-missing-nj-woman-spread-word-rcna2325
'What about Lauren Cho?': Friends of missing N.J. woman spread the word
Social media users call attention to the disappearance of a Korean American woman in June, also near a national park.
Sept. 29, 2021, 10:17 AM MDT / Updated Sept. 29, 2021, 2:48 PM MDT
By Sakshi Venkatraman
As awareness of missing person cases increases nationwide, friends and family of 30-year-old Lauren “El” Cho, who disappeared near Joshua Tree National Park in California in June, are asking people to bring the same energy to finding her.
“Where is my sister?!” a sibling posted on Facebook in August. Since early July, the family has run a page called “Missing Person: Lauren ‘El’ Cho” to raise awareness as they wait for updates from authorities.
“Someone knows what happened,” the post continued.
Recent interest in missing persons cases, fueled by the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito, inspired some friends of Cho to spread her story on Twitter.
“Despite how much it hurts to reopen this, I want to use the attention now and just power through,” one of Cho’s friends said in a now-viral tweet spreading details about her disappearance and last whereabouts.
Cho, a resident of New Jersey, went missing on June 28 around 5 p.m. when she left her Airbnb on a remote, mountainous trail in Yucca Valley, California. Cho was traveling with her friends and ex-boyfriend, and they told police that when they last saw her, she walked away from the residence and into the desert with no food, water or cellphone.
Police conducted an aerial search almost a month later, on July 24, and on July 31 they searched the property where Cho had been staying. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told NBC Asian America that the search for Cho has never stopped, but the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division became involved this month after the local police had “exhausted their investigation.”
One of Cho's family members said they are posting updates on a public Facebook page.
“It’s the world’s worst waiting game,” the family said on Facebook.
As the search continues, those close to Cho say they miss a kind, loving daughter, sister and aunt.
“El is many things ... a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for,” the family said on Facebook. “But this is where El really shines: as an aunt. The love she has for her nibling is unmatched. Even among family, the consensus is that her nibling is the person El loves most in this world.”
The public reaction to Petito’s disappearance caused some to cite “missing white woman syndrome,” in which much less media attention is given to people of color who go missing. People on social media have been re-upping unsolved cases of POC disappearances, including many in national parks.
Many have pointed to Cho’s case as one that barely got any public attention when it was first reported.
“If Missing White Woman Syndrome isn’t real, then can you guys please prove the complainers wrong and make some noise for this Korean American woman? Lauren Cho has been missing for MONTHS,” one person tweeted.
But the family says they don’t want the public to make comparisons.
“We realize that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities,” they said on Facebook. “We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage. Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye. We are wholly appreciative of the love that continues to be shown to El. We empathize deeply with Gabby’s family and hope that both our cases bring forth positive resolution.”
I'll start with: Lauren “El” Cho
A woman vanished from a home in the California desert in June and hasn't been seen since.
www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/us/lauren-cho-missing-woman/index.html
Los Angeles (CNN)When New Jersey native Lauren Cho moved to California late last year she dreamed of a fresh start.
The cross-country trip came at the right time, friends say, because the pandemic was wearing on her. A change of scenery was enticing and the 30-year-old was excited about the chance to work as a pastry chef. Her Instagram page is filled with her baked creations.
Cho, whom friends call "El," had been staying at an Airbnb home in the Yucca Valley, which is about a two-hour drive from Los Angeles and about 12 miles from Joshua Tree National Park, when she vanished in late June.
She hasn't been seen or heard from since.
The national attention on other missing person cases has renewed interest in the mystery surrounding her disappearance and the search has intensified.
Family and friends want answers. A spokesperson for San Bernardino Sheriff's Department told CNN it has conducted multiple searches in the last three months. Yet, despite the renewed interest in her case, they haven't gotten new substantive leads. Here's what we do know.
The investigation
The sheriff's department said Cho's ex-boyfriend reported her missing about three hours after she disappeared on June 28.
She was staying at the home in the Yucca Valley with friends, including her ex-boyfriend. Friends reported that she was "upset and presumably walked away from the resort, leaving behind her personal belongings," according to San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
Cho is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow T-shirt and jean shorts when she left the home.
As the sheriff's department and volunteers scoured the area, so did Cho's friends.
"We have gone thousands of miles and tirelessly went to gas stations and pasted up flyers in the the low desert, the high desert," a friend, Jeff Frost said. "We went out to San Diego because she said in the week before she disappeared that she just wanted to go to the beach."
Investigators say the ex-boyfriend "indicated she was suffering from mental distress."
Although the family told CNN that they have no official statement, they have created a Facebook page to post updates on the investigation and raise awareness. The page also asks the public to refrain from speculation about the case and Cho's mental health at the time of her disappearance.
In recent weeks, law enforcement have come under scrutiny for the extensive resources used to search for Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Petito's remains were found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. A coroner later made an initial ruling that her death was a homicide.
Cho is among several other people who disappeared this summer. But Cho's family posted a statement in mid September citing that the cases are different.
"We realize that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities. We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage.
Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye."
Who is she?
Cho's sister told CNN that Cho is a "dynamic, firecracker of a person who is creative and funny."
"She's super caring, very loving and just a really loyal and good friend," her friend Len Gherardi said.
Before she moved to California, Cho worked at Gherardi's tattoo studio in Flemington, New Jersey.
"The plan was I was going to teach her how to pierce so she was my apprentice,
" Gherardi said.
It's been three months since anyone has heard from Cho, and the family just wants information on her whereabouts. They continue to post on the Facebook page at least once a week.
"El is many things... a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for. But this is where El really shines: as an aunt," the family said in a Facebook post last month.
Another take on the case:
www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/-lauren-cho-friends-missing-nj-woman-spread-word-rcna2325
'What about Lauren Cho?': Friends of missing N.J. woman spread the word
Social media users call attention to the disappearance of a Korean American woman in June, also near a national park.
Sept. 29, 2021, 10:17 AM MDT / Updated Sept. 29, 2021, 2:48 PM MDT
By Sakshi Venkatraman
As awareness of missing person cases increases nationwide, friends and family of 30-year-old Lauren “El” Cho, who disappeared near Joshua Tree National Park in California in June, are asking people to bring the same energy to finding her.
“Where is my sister?!” a sibling posted on Facebook in August. Since early July, the family has run a page called “Missing Person: Lauren ‘El’ Cho” to raise awareness as they wait for updates from authorities.
“Someone knows what happened,” the post continued.
Recent interest in missing persons cases, fueled by the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito, inspired some friends of Cho to spread her story on Twitter.
“Despite how much it hurts to reopen this, I want to use the attention now and just power through,” one of Cho’s friends said in a now-viral tweet spreading details about her disappearance and last whereabouts.
Cho, a resident of New Jersey, went missing on June 28 around 5 p.m. when she left her Airbnb on a remote, mountainous trail in Yucca Valley, California. Cho was traveling with her friends and ex-boyfriend, and they told police that when they last saw her, she walked away from the residence and into the desert with no food, water or cellphone.
Police conducted an aerial search almost a month later, on July 24, and on July 31 they searched the property where Cho had been staying. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told NBC Asian America that the search for Cho has never stopped, but the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division became involved this month after the local police had “exhausted their investigation.”
One of Cho's family members said they are posting updates on a public Facebook page.
“It’s the world’s worst waiting game,” the family said on Facebook.
As the search continues, those close to Cho say they miss a kind, loving daughter, sister and aunt.
“El is many things ... a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for,” the family said on Facebook. “But this is where El really shines: as an aunt. The love she has for her nibling is unmatched. Even among family, the consensus is that her nibling is the person El loves most in this world.”
The public reaction to Petito’s disappearance caused some to cite “missing white woman syndrome,” in which much less media attention is given to people of color who go missing. People on social media have been re-upping unsolved cases of POC disappearances, including many in national parks.
Many have pointed to Cho’s case as one that barely got any public attention when it was first reported.
“If Missing White Woman Syndrome isn’t real, then can you guys please prove the complainers wrong and make some noise for this Korean American woman? Lauren Cho has been missing for MONTHS,” one person tweeted.
But the family says they don’t want the public to make comparisons.
“We realize that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities,” they said on Facebook. “We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage. Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye. We are wholly appreciative of the love that continues to be shown to El. We empathize deeply with Gabby’s family and hope that both our cases bring forth positive resolution.”
