Missing
Heather Bloom
Heather, approximately 2005; Age when reported missing: 40 (approximately 2016)
Date and time person was reported missing : 10/01/2005
Missing location (approx) :
Berkeley, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/28/1976 (44)
Age at the time of disappearance: 28 years old
Height / Weight : 5'0 - 5'7, 140 - 160 pounds
Medical conditions : Heather has Down Syndrome, a heart condition, and congenital hypothyroidism; she was born without a thyroid gland. She needs to take daily medication for her heart and thyroid issues. Heather is mentally disabled, uses a wheelchair for mobility, and requires constant care and supervision. She is non-verbal, but does know some sign languAge at the time of disappearance: .
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Heather may wear eyeglasses. She has a vertical surgical scar on her chest and a lump on the back of her neck near her hairline.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Heather was last seen in Berkeley, California on October 1, 2005, when the police were called to an apartment at Carleton and California streets to intervene in an argument between Heather's mother, Phyllis, and her sister, Shari. Heather was present at the time; she and her mother were visiting Shari from Brooklyn, New York.
The argument was resolved and the police left. When Phyllis returned to New York, she left Heather in Shari's care. The sisters lived in an apartment in the 1600 block of Parker Street. This was the last time the police or Heather's mother ever saw her.
Phyllis contacted the police in June 2009 and said she hadn't heard from either Heather or Shari since the argument in 2005. She asked authorities to check on Heather's welfare.
Shari had moved away from the Parker Street apartment in 2007, and it took months before law enforcement was able to find her. The police went to Shari's new apartment in March 2010 and she wouldn't open the door for them. She answered questions through the window and said Heather was fine, but she refused to let anyone see Heather or come inside the home.
Shari's neighbors at her new residence reported that they never saw Heather. Within a month, she had moved again and police lost track of her. Her landlord had evicted her because she owed thirteen to fourteen thousand dollars in back rent.
Authorities subsequently learned that Shari moved to Norway on a student visa in approximately 2016. The local media in Berkeley reached out to her by email and phone, but never heard back, and attempts to locate Heather have remained unsuccessful.
The police are uncertain what happened to Heather and don't necessarily believe she's deceased or in danger, but they need to be able to see her and confirm her well-being to close her missing persons case. It's possible her sister placed her in a care home or with another caregiver in the San Francisco Bay area. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Berkeley Police Department
510-981-5938
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
The Oakland Tribune
The Daily Californian
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
ABC 7 News
Berkeleyside
Berkeley Patch
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
