Missing Person Photos
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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos
Pearl Jean Francis Pinson
Pearl, date, approximate 2016; Age-progression to age 17 (date, approximate 2017); Fernando Castro; Traffic photos of Castro's car; Pearl Pinson's backpack
Date Missing 05/25/2016
Missing From
Vallejo, California
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 12/15/2000 (21)
Age 15 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 130 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A black and white zip-up jacket, a gray sweater or sweatshirt, black leggings or sweatpants, pink, black and white Nike Turfs shoes, and a black Raiders beanie cap. Carrying a black and turquoise backpack with a Joker emblem on it. A photo of the backpack is posted with this summary.
Medical Conditions Pearl may be in need of medical attention for unspecified reasons.
Associated Vehicle(s) Gold four-door 1997 Saturn with the license plate number 5XZD385 (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, blue/green eyes. Pearl's hair was dyed green at the time of her disappearance. The left side of her lower lip is pierced.
Details of Disappearance Pearl was last seen in Vallejo, California on May 25, 2016. She was walking to the school bus stop, shortly before 7:00 a.m. when a witness saw an armed Hispanic man (later identified as 19-year-old Fernando Castro) dragging her across a pedestrian overpass along Interstate 780 near Taylor Avenue.
Pearl's face was bloody, she was screaming for help, and the witness heard at least one shot. The witness called 911.When the authorities arrived, they found a bloodstain and Pearl's cell phone on the overpass, but there was no sign of Pearl or her abductor.
A photo of Castro is posted below this summary. He had a minor criminal history, but not for crimes involving stalking or kidnapping, and his family was reportedly "blindsided" when they found out what he had done.
Some reports state that he was an acquaintance of Pearl's, possibly her boyfriend. However, he was not Pearl's boyfriend and she apparently didn't know him at all; investigators could find no evidence of any prior contact between them, either in person or through social media.
Castro was sighted driving his gold four-door 1997 Saturn in the area of the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near the San Rafael Bridge in Marin County, California at 9:30 a.m., two and a half hours after Pearl's abduction. Photos of the car are posted with this summary. It had the license plate number 5XZD385.
The following afternoon, Castro was sighted driving in San Luis Obispo County, California. Officers with the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office chased his vehicle into Santa Barbara County.
There was a shootout between police and Castro, and Castro was killed. Pearl wasn't with him at the time of his death and she has never been heard from again.
Castro was killed more than 300 miles south from where Pearl was taken. When police searched his car they found Pearl's blood in the trunk, but they said it was not a large amount, not enough to indicate she'd been seriously injured or killed.
Although there was speculation that Pearl was the victim of sex trafficking, investigators could find no evidence to support the theory and no evidence that anyone other than Castro was involved in her disappearance. They stated they weren't sure whether she was dead or alive, but that the passage of time made it less likely that she was still alive.
Pearl is the second of three children in her family and enjoys skateboarding, going to the beach and other outdoor pursuits. Her whereabouts are unknown and her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Solano County Sheriff's Office
707-421-7090
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
California Attorney General's Office
CBS Sacramento
Benicia, California Patch
Napa Valley, California Patch
About Pearl Pinson
Noozhawk
KRON 4
People Magazine
We Help the Missing
Missing Person Photos
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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos