Found Safe CA - Ashley Lynn Zachman, 36, Santa Barbara, 29 May 2020

[GraceG]

I wonder if she has a history of mental illness or drug abuse or any medical issues? I think she was labeled at risk?
It’s kind of weird that she’s take the purse and cash and car and leave the phone at home, maybe she doesn’t want to be found?

which in these situations I’m not sure why people can’t just tell someone or leave a note and save people a lot of wasted time and stress.

I’m hoping she just took off and is safe somewhere

I really doubt she'd be working as a nurse with a mental health or drug issue in her past. "At risk" often simply means the person otherwise would not normally go missing so the disappearance is suspicious.

 

[Warwick7]

Just saw this on our local news & info page. Is Ashley a traveling nurse?

I just saw this in fb. Illgo back and read from the beginning, try and catch up.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I really doubt she'd be working as a nurse with a mental health or drug issue in her past. "At risk" often simply means the person otherwise would not normally go missing so the disappearance is suspicious.

Nurses, like everyone else, can have mental health or drug issues. And they can work with those issues as well. Boards of Nursing in each state can and do regulate practice for impaired nurses- but just like everyone else - some are better at hiding it than others.

PLEASE NOTE WHAT I AM NOT SAYING: I am not saying AZ had either problem.

 

[GraceG]

Nurses, like everyone else, can have mental health or drug issues. And they can work with those issues as well. Boards of Nursing in each state can and do regulate practice for impaired nurses- but just like everyone else - some are better at hiding it than others.

PLEASE NOTE WHAT I AM NOT SAYING: I am not saying AZ had either problem.

Thank you - I just assumed they were more monitored and screened on hiring (since she had a new position which would have had a recent background check). I was an airline pilot for many years - never saw drugs but alcohol and mental health issues were often "under the radar" unless there were arrests on record related to same which were immediately grounding.

 

[branmuffin]

The thing that is setting red flags up for me is the fact that her cats were outside roaming around on the porch and the door to the residence was open.

Based on the street she lives on, it looks like a well traveled main artery in Santa Barbara, so I would think her cats are house cats and didn't leave the porch because they were unused to being outside.

It sounds more and more like she came home, changed into street clothing perhaps putting her phone down one place and her purse in another and in the interim was surprised by an intruder who bundled her out of the house with only with her purse and car keys.

 

[Acorunadepor]

The thing that is setting red flags up for me is the fact that her cats were outside roaming around on the porch and the door to the residence was open.

Based on the street she lives on, it looks like a well traveled main artery in Santa Barbara, so I would think her cats are house cats and didn't leave the porch because they were unused to being outside.

It sounds more and more like she came home, changed into street clothing perhaps putting her phone down one place and her purse in another and in the interim was surprised by an intruder who bundled her out of the house with only with her purse and car keys.

So she was taken right in the middle of a main artery of Santa Barbara, between 5 and 6 pm?
I can't see that happening.

 

[ACG2x]

Reset/summary of what we know/has been rumored so far:

Know for sure

• AZ is 5'5" with brown hair/blue eyes and 36 years old.
• Worked her shift at a hospital as a nurse at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA
• Left around 5 PM on FRI, 05/29 and arrived home around 5:30 PM
• Drives a white 2008 Mazda 3 w/ CA plates
• Family indicated it's not like her to just disappear
• No contact with anyone she knows since leaving work
• Classified by LE as "missing endangered" - LE has not said she either voluntarily vanished or was abducted
• Family/friends think she was abducted but no confirmation of that from LE or any other official source - it's just their opinion

Rumored

• Two ATM withdrawals or withdrawal attempts in/near Ventura, CA which is approximately 30 min. south of Santa Barbara in early June. There is something with ATM activity in the days after she disappeared, but nothing confirmed if the withdrawals were successful or not and who attempted to make them
• Footage exists of ATM withdrawals but no reports on who was driving or if there were passengers
• Cats were roaming her front porch and the back door was wide open
• Changed clothes after getting home from nurse scrubs
• Purse was taken with her but cell phone was not

 

[branmuffin]

So she was taken right in the middle of a main artery of Santa Barbara, between 5 and 6 pm?
I can't see that happening.

I'm basing it on aerial views of the street. Never been to SB. But just because it may be a busy street it doesn't mean there are few residential buildings including homes. I lived in Toronto for years and some main arteries are 40 percent businesses and 60 percent private homes and apartments. If the same mix happens on Ashley's street there is a possibility it could happen. Also, without knowing her address or general location of her home, the fact that she had a porch suggests she lives in a house, rather than an apartment. And the fact the article mentioned a back door that was open. Most apartments don't have back doors, only one entrance door.

 

[Knox]

So she was taken right in the middle of a main artery of Santa Barbara, between 5 and 6 pm?
I can't see that happening.

I won't go so far as to say it couldn't happen, but the residences are pretty close together and if there was a scuffle chances are someone would have heard something MOO.

 

[Knox]

Reset/summary of what we know/has been rumored so far:

Know for sure

• AZ is 5'5" with brown hair/blue eyes and 36 years old.
• Worked her shift at a hospital as a nurse at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA
• Left around 5 PM on FRI, 05/29 and arrived home around 5:30 PM
• Drives a white 2008 Mazda 3 w/ CA plates
• Family indicated it's not like her to just disappear
• No contact with anyone she knows since leaving work
• Classified by LE as "missing endangered" - LE has not said she either voluntarily vanished or was abducted
• Family/friends think she was abducted but no confirmation of that from LE or any other official source - it's just their opinion

Rumored

• Two ATM withdrawals or withdrawal attempts in/near Ventura, CA which is approximately 30 min. south of Santa Barbara in early June. There is something with ATM activity in the days after she disappeared, but nothing confirmed if the withdrawals were successful or not and who attempted to make them
• Footage exists of ATM withdrawals but no reports on who was driving or if there were passengers
• Cats were roaming her front porch and the back door was wide open
• Changed clothes after getting home from nurse scrubs
• Purse was taken with her but cell phone was not

I add to your bulleted *Rumor* list regarding the cats & back door. That same neighbor also said she heard a phone ringing.

 

[scaredtopost]

If AZ has a Smart Watch, I can see her leaving her phone at home to charge while leaving home for a short period of time. As long as the watch is subscribed to a mobile plan, one can send/receive texts and calls while away from the phone. But, if that's the case, LE would be able to trace the location. I don't know if she had one, but smart watches are very convenient for healthcare workers who can't always carry a bulky phone, but need to stay connected.
JMO, MOO, etc.

 

[Alethea]

This one is so strange. LE has to know more based on the ATM camera. I assume if it wasn't her, they would say so since it would mean she was either robbed or held hostage or worse.

I agree with some of the posters above that a 36 year old independent woman with a career who left her home state for the sunny shores of SB could easily tell her family she's going to Eat Pray Love or whatever and to leave her alone. So I am skeptical of a voluntary disappearance unless there's a lot we don't know about her past.

 

[Acorunadepor]

This one is so strange. LE has to know more based on the ATM camera. I assume if it wasn't her, they would say so since it would mean she was either robbed or held hostage or worse.

I agree with some of the posters above that a 36 year old independent woman with a career who left her home state for the sunny shores of SB could easily tell her family she's going to Eat Pray Love or whatever and to leave her alone. So I am skeptical of a voluntary disappearance unless there's a lot we don't know about her past.

An unvolutarily scenario could have occured after she left her home. Not even necessarily in front of her house. What adds to the confusion is the car is missing too. Did she entered the car and later picked up somebody who turned on her? Did she meet somebody at a certain place? Was she accompanied by somebody during a withdrawl?

LE has seen the footage, but maybe they cannot ID the person on the footage. But like you said the must have a good lead coming from that footage.

 

[ACG2x]

LE has seen the footage, but maybe they cannot ID the person on the footage. But like you said the must have a good lead coming from that footage.

Being careful about how I word this as the source was related to SM, but there was a comment from someone who has been verified to know AZ that there was footage, however acquiring it and seeing who is in it wasn't as easy as you'd think.

I oversee an area of my company that provides physical security, cameras, etc. for a large fitness chain. I can tell you from experience that the quality of cameras varies greatly based on manufacturer, MP (megapixels) used, type, etc. Basically the higher the MP, the more definition the picture has. We use 360 'fisheye' cameras that hang overhead and have a fully circular range of vision however many places use stationery cameras that have a field of vision either down/outward if hung or mounted or a triangle shaped view if on a level surface.

ATM cameras are usually low in MP since the subject being filmed is so close to the actual machine. Most ATM cameras have a range of two feet in the aforementioned triangle shaped view lens. If AZ - or someone driving AZ's vehicle or with her in it - drove up to the machine and placed themselves at a certain point, it's possible the camera would only pick up general features and not get a clear view of the person's face or other ID'ing info like clothes.

Sometimes people have a view that if there's a camera somewhere, it picks up this incredibly detailed picture quality like you see on TV and that's just not the case. Another thing to consider is the storage space of the ATM cameras. Our cameras operate on an approximately seven day loop recording 24 hours a day. If there is footage that someone at one of the stores wants exported, they can do that which can be uploaded to another device, e-mailed, etc.

However, that storage space is expensive so depending on what ATM was used, their storage might be less and it is possible that the footage was written over with new recordings since ATM cameras would also presumably run 24x7. All just moo but again I speak from experience in the industry as most 24x7 cameras don't have infinite storage space on their servers because most owners of those devices or businesses don't have the $$$ to pay for that.

 

[Acorunadepor]

Being careful about how I word this as the source was related to SM, but there was a comment from someone who has been verified to know AZ that there was footage, however acquiring it and seeing who is in it wasn't as easy as you'd think.

I oversee an area of my company that provides physical security, cameras, etc. for a large fitness chain. I can tell you from experience that the quality of cameras varies greatly based on manufacturer, MP (megapixels) used, type, etc. Basically the higher the MP, the more definition the picture has. We use 360 'fisheye' cameras that hang overhead and have a fully circular range of vision however many places use stationery cameras that have a field of vision either down/outward if hung or mounted or a triangle shaped view if on a level surface.

ATM cameras are usually low in MP since the subject being filmed is so close to the actual machine. Most ATM cameras have a range of two feet in the aforementioned triangle shaped view lens. If AZ - or someone driving AZ's vehicle or with her in it - drove up to the machine and placed themselves at a certain point, it's possible the camera would only pick up general features and not get a clear view of the person's face or other ID'ing info like clothes.

Sometimes people have a view that if there's a camera somewhere, it picks up this incredibly detailed picture quality like you see on TV and that's just not the case. Another thing to consider is the storage space of the ATM cameras. Our cameras operate on an approximately seven day loop recording 24 hours a day. If there is footage that someone at one of the stores wants exported, they can do that which can be uploaded to another device, e-mailed, etc.

However, that storage space is expensive so depending on what ATM was used, their storage might be less and it is possible that the footage was written over with new recordings since ATM cameras would also presumably run 24x7. All just moo but again I speak from experience in the industry as most 24x7 cameras don't have infinite storage space on their servers because most owners of those devices or businesses don't have the $$$ to pay for that.

Yes I should have said: If LE has seen the footage. Anyway thanks for the specifics.

 

[Alethea]

An unvolutarily scenario could have occured after she left her home. Not even necessarily in front of her house. What adds to the confusion is the car is missing too. Did she entered the car and later picked up somebody who turned on her? Did she meet somebody at a certain place? Was she accompanied by somebody during a withdrawl?

LE has seen the footage, but maybe they cannot ID the person on the footage. But like you said the must have a good lead coming from that footage.

I thought of Eve Carson who was carjacked in Chapel Hill in 2008. She was forced in the back of her car and held hostage with a gun to her head and driven around to different ATMs. They only got $700. She begged them to just let her go but they shot her 5 times and killed her. The ATM footage showed these bastards using her card over and over. Thankfully they were caught and convicted and both are serving life sentences.

These days the ATM cameras and cameras on banks are much more clear than they used to be. LE may be able to look at her demeanor and anyone else around for clues too.

Who knows, really. I hope they release more information soon.

 

[Alethea]

Being careful about how I word this as the source was related to SM, but there was a comment from someone who has been verified to know AZ that there was footage, however acquiring it and seeing who is in it wasn't as easy as you'd think.

I oversee an area of my company that provides physical security, cameras, etc. for a large fitness chain. I can tell you from experience that the quality of cameras varies greatly based on manufacturer, MP (megapixels) used, type, etc. Basically the higher the MP, the more definition the picture has. We use 360 'fisheye' cameras that hang overhead and have a fully circular range of vision however many places use stationery cameras that have a field of vision either down/outward if hung or mounted or a triangle shaped view if on a level surface.

ATM cameras are usually low in MP since the subject being filmed is so close to the actual machine. Most ATM cameras have a range of two feet in the aforementioned triangle shaped view lens. If AZ - or someone driving AZ's vehicle or with her in it - drove up to the machine and placed themselves at a certain point, it's possible the camera would only pick up general features and not get a clear view of the person's face or other ID'ing info like clothes.

Sometimes people have a view that if there's a camera somewhere, it picks up this incredibly detailed picture quality like you see on TV and that's just not the case. Another thing to consider is the storage space of the ATM cameras. Our cameras operate on an approximately seven day loop recording 24 hours a day. If there is footage that someone at one of the stores wants exported, they can do that which can be uploaded to another device, e-mailed, etc.

However, that storage space is expensive so depending on what ATM was used, their storage might be less and it is possible that the footage was written over with new recordings since ATM cameras would also presumably run 24x7. All just moo but again I speak from experience in the industry as most 24x7 cameras don't have infinite storage space on their servers because most owners of those devices or businesses don't have the $$$ to pay for that.

The footage in Eve's case was fantastic. This is the image. I think most modern ATM cameras are quite good. Photo from Wikipedia entry for Eve: Murder of Eve Carson - Wikipedia

 

[10ofRods]

Snipped for focus

which in these situations I’m not sure why people can’t just tell someone or leave a note and save people a lot of wasted time and stress.

Mental illness. Just as you suggested.

 

[10ofRods]

I really doubt she'd be working as a nurse with a mental health or drug issue in her past. "At risk" often simply means the person otherwise would not normally go missing so the disappearance is suspicious.

I can dispute that. Many Bipolar I and II people are doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses, psychologists, professors, teachers, scientists and much else. These are people I personally know or who I have interviewed. In one rather well-publicized case in my county, a bipolar judge eventually resigned the bench, as he got older, his situation worsened.

No one is barred from a career unless the illness interferes significantly with their job performance. But many symptoms are more pronounced outside the workplace. Workplaces and professional roles provide much-needed structure.

That's not what I understand "at risk" to mean (and I don't think that's what it means in Santa Barbara County, which I know well).

As to drug problems - I know several nurses who are working in SoCal after drug rehab. Heck, we've got nursing students starting their first jobs as RN's after coming out of drug diversion programs that mandated they go back to school. Some of them have been quite candid on SM about their experiences.

Naturally, they have to disclose it and one nurse I know is in a situation where they are on a ward where there are scheduled drugs (they don't have the code - only one nurse per shift has it).

Bipolar doesn't show up, usually, until the mid-20's and it can be the early 30's before a very serious episode takes place.

I hope that Ashley is simply unwell, but the fact that they haven't located her using her credit card use is very troubling. She could of course be sleeping in her car, there's a lot of that these days. It would seem she headed south.

 

[GraceG]

I can dispute that. Many Bipolar I and II people are doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses, psychologists, professors, teachers, scientists and much else. These are people I personally know or who I have interviewed. In one rather well-publicized case in my county, a bipolar judge eventually resigned the bench, as he got older, his situation worsened.

No one is barred from a career unless the illness interferes significantly with their job performance. But many symptoms are more pronounced outside the workplace. Workplaces and professional roles provide much-needed structure.

That's not what I understand "at risk" to mean (and I don't think that's what it means in Santa Barbara County, which I know well).

As to drug problems - I know several nurses who are working in SoCal after drug rehab. Heck, we've got nursing students starting their first jobs as RN's after coming out of drug diversion programs that mandated they go back to school. Some of them have been quite candid on SM about their experiences.

Naturally, they have to disclose it and one nurse I know is in a situation where they are on a ward where there are scheduled drugs (they don't have the code - only one nurse per shift has it).

Bipolar doesn't show up, usually, until the mid-20's and it can be the early 30's before a very serious episode takes place.

I hope that Ashley is simply unwell, but the fact that they haven't located her using her credit card use is very troubling. She could of course be sleeping in her car, there's a lot of that these days. It would seem she headed south.

Thanks for the info on mental health. It's perhaps my age (I'm a senior) but it just wasn't something discussed back when I was in the workforce.

As far as the "at risk". I don't know Santa Barbara County definitions but the FBI definition of At Risk includes "a person who has no pattern of running away or disappearing." How police define at-risk missing persons cases