Missing woman sought by Feather Alert identified as body found in San Bernardino County
A missing Native American woman who was at the center of a Feather Alert after she went missing more than a week ago was identified as the body found in San Bernardino County over the weekend.
Lake Elsinore woman Amy Porter, 43, had not been seen since Sept. 14 when she was staying at a motel in Pomona with a man she knew, family members said. Cameras caught her final moments, as she appeared to be rushing away from the area.
A week later, the California Highway Patrol issued a Feather Alert, which is designed to provide information to the public when an indigenous person goes missing, at the request of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Porter is a member of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
In the time since she was last seen, family members have launched a desperate search for their loved one, saying that local law enforcement was not doing enough to find her. They say her love for her daughter would never have kept her away for long.
"Her devotion to her daughter, Amy's devotion to her daughter wouldn't have allowed her to not see her for that long," said her cousin, Angelica Lyons.
Which is why they formed their own search party this weekend that resulted in the devastating discovery early Sunday morning in the desert area near the I-10 Freeway and Wildwood Canyon Road in Calimesa.
"I ran as fast as I could to her and I didn't even see her," said Lyons. "I saw her foot and I knew it was her just by her tattoo."
They headed to the area after learning that her car had been towed from the I-10 Freeway in Yucaipa after it was found abandoned on Sept. 15, more than 40 miles from the motel where she was last seen.
This pointed them towards San Bernardino County, something that they say investigators hadn't addressed.They say that witnesses reported seeing her car getting intentionally rammed by another car that was chasing her.
However, when they reported her missing on Sept. 18, detectives told them that there wasn't a probable cause to conduct a search for her.
"We believe law enforcement failed us," Lyons said. "With the multiple reports, we don't understand why there wouldn't be searches for her."
She says that they went to Porter's house and found evidence of foul play, including blood, and despite giving that information to the people investigating her disappearance it was not taken seriously.
"Now it's finally an investigation," Lyons said. "Now they want to do their jobs. They wanna investigate, they wanna go to the house, they wanna finally take what we've seen. We knew better."
They say that the Feather Alert made them feel that her case was finally getting the attention it deserved.
She was not identified by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Coroner until Monday morning, and no manner of death has yet been listed.
"Deputies were not aware of the search prior to receiving the medical aid call and responded promptly," said a statement from SBSD officials.
The Riverside County and San Bernardino County sheriff's departments are collaborating on the investigation, along with the California Highway Patrol.
While it's unclear if anyone has been arrested in connection with Porter's disappearance, the man that family members say she was staying with was taken into custody for a parole violation.
As their investigation continues, detectives said they would not be releasing any further information until a later time.
Anyone who knows more is urged to contact SBSD at (909) 890-4905 or RSO at (951) 776-1099.
