Vigil Held For Missing Morgan Hill Teen, Sex Offenders Questioned
MORGAN HILL (CBS SF) - Community members held a candlelight vigil for missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra Lamar Tuesday night as authorities continued to search for her.
Sierra, 15, was last seen leaving her home near Palm and Dougherty avenues in unincorporated Morgan Hill early Friday morning. She did not show up to school that day.
The prayer vigil was held Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church Tuesday night.
Sierra's family, friends and other community members have distributed fliers with her photo and description around town since she went missing.
Sierra's mother received a notification around 6 p.m. Friday from Ann Sobrato High School saying that her daughter hadn't attended classes that day, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the disappearance.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
Over the weekend, police found Sierra's cellphone off of a roadway near her home.
"The cellphone was intact, it wasn't broken," Sgt. Jose Cardoza said. "There's no evidence to lead to a crime after that."
Investigators were poring over the girl's cellphone records and examining her laptop computer in the hopes of finding leads, he said.
Cardoza said that while there is no evidence of foul play, there is also nothing to suggest that Sierra ran away from home. There were no fights at home or any signs that Sierra was unhappy there, he said.
On Monday, investigators from the Santa Clara County sheriff's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force made contact with local registered sex offenders to determine their whereabouts at the time of Sierra's disappearance, Cardoza said.
There are 57 registered sex offenders in the Morgan Hill zip code, according to an online national sex offender registry.
KCBS Radio reported that according to the same registry, Sierra's father, Steve Lamar, who lives in Fremont, is himself a registered sex offender who was convicted of charges of lewd acts with a child under 14 years old.
Sheriff's officials have said, however, that Steve Lamar is not considered a suspect in the case.
Investigators on Monday interviewed some of Sierra's classmates at Ann Sobrato High to gather information, Cardoza said.
"We're all working together to get Sierra back home," school Principal Deborah Padilla said Monday.
Padilla said students have been helping to post fliers and contribute information to the investigation.
Deputies also questioned students at Washington High School in Fremont, where Lamar was previously enrolled.
Sierra is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, with a thin build.
She was last seen carrying a Juicy brand black-and-pink purse.
Anyone with information about Sierra or her whereabouts is asked to call Santa Clara County communications at (408) 299-2311. During business hours, tipsters can emails information to tips@sheriff.sccgov.org or call sheriff's investigators at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
