Police Searching For Leads After Missing College Student's Truck, Cellphone Found
LIVE OAK (CBS13) — It's been five days since Alycia "Ali" Yeoman went missing and still there is no sign of the 20-year old from Gridley. Yeoman was last seen driving her 1998 green Toyota Tacoma truck from an address on Romero Street in Yuba City Thursday night.
According to Gridley police, she was visiting a male friend. That friend was Mike Lizarraga, a small business owner and music artist in Gridley who apparently was hosting a few people at his place that night including Yeoman.
Lizarraga is traveling right now on a radio tour promoting his music. His father tells CBS13 that the night Yeoman disappeared, his son tried to get her to not drive since his son said she had been drinking, but that she chose to leave around 11.
Gridley police confirm that's the account Lizarraga gave authorities as well, and say he's been in contact with police and the family ever since.
"He's a good guy, a good neighbor, just a friendly guy," said neighbor Shelby Amato.
But what happened after Yeoman left Lizaragga's home is still a mystery.
"The only thing we can hope for us is that they unlock the phone, and find out if maybe she was trying to text somebody for help," said Leo Almonte.
Almonte says he's a close friend who has been searching alongside investigators as they comb through the area. Crews used K-9's to scour the orchards and thick brush by the Feather River.
Police say Yeoman's cellphone was found by a citizen in the same area where her truck was abandoned. Investigators are currently examining the cell phone records for investigative leads.
"I think the family needs some closure or needs to know something and I think by them finding the truck, it gives them some hope," said Dirceo Ramirez.
Ramirez and his father spotted Yeomen's truck stuck in a muddy ditch off Pennington road Friday morning. Initially, they didn't think much of it, but then they made the connection.
"We walked up to it, recognized it, and we backed up and called 911. What gave it away was they were talking about how she had a Dodgers sticker on the back, so it fit the description of what people put online," said Ramirez.
The truck was found roughly 9 miles from where she was last seen on Romero street in Yuba City.
Police say there are no credible leads of suspicious circumstances or foul play in Yeoman's disappearance at this time.
Friends say she is a kind and responsible person who was working two jobs at McDonald's and Starbucks and was also a student at Yuba College.
Yeoman is 5'4 about 115-125 lbs, light brown hair, braces, a nose ring, and has a small mole near her left eye.
If you have any information, contact the Gridley-Biggs Police Department at (530) 846-5670.
