CA CA - Bryce Laspisa, 19, Castaic, 30 Aug 2013 - #1

[LinasK]

Just watched the local 10 p.m. news on ktla. They said they should know for sure within 12 hours if the body found is Bryce or not. They also mentioned that he has a permanent retainer in his mouth, which should help with ID, along with the dental records that Bryce's parents provided.

I also thought they said it was someone on a motorcycle that initially saw the flames and tried to put them out themselves. Then they realized there was a body within the flames and called 911. I wish I DVRed it so I could play it back. I'll do that next time.

Oh good, so they should be able to confirm it by tomorrow morning. I'll be tied up though, so I won't be able to find out 'till later.

 

[AnjL]

I hope so too, but it IS someone, so who is it? And it's the second victim in the general area of Castaic in a week, that I've read about, whoever it is. Coincidence, or is something very strange going on?

ETA: this is the other one I'm thinking of Found Deceased CA - Martha "Marti" Myers, 59, Castaic, 5 Aug 2013 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community. Marti Meyers, age 59, found earlier this week. And I'd forgotten part of her thread included this link to a someone found in Gorman: http://scvnews.com/2013/08/28/body-found-in-gorman-detectives-investigating/, which as I understand it isn't very far away, 25-30 miles or so. Later identified as a male, but no ID last I could find.

Strange.

I knew of marti's case but I thought that was a suicide? I didn't read the entire thread. Now you have my interest peaked in the other Gorman one....guess ill be up reading for a while

 

[AnjL]

http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/97718/
Body adult male found 6/5/13 in car near Gorman-may be suicide.

https://www.myworldnews.com/Channel...-details-about-body-found-off-i-5-near-gorman
Body found 8/28/13 near Gorman unidentified black adult male.

Marti Myers was found in Boron Ca over 100 miles away so I don't think that one would be related but who knows?

Now we have Bryce and an additional unidentified male body. Are there any others?

 

[UCLAEigenguy]

http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/97718/
Body adult male found 6/5/13 in car near Gorman-may be suicide.

https://www.myworldnews.com/Channel...-details-about-body-found-off-i-5-near-gorman
Body found 8/28/13 near Gorman unidentified black adult male.

Marti Myers was found in Boron Ca over 100 miles away so I don't think that one would be related but who knows?

Now we have Bryce and an additional unidentified male body. Are there any others?

This is very weird. Sounds like it there could be a serial killer (regardless if the body is Bryce's).

Someone has posted on his Facebook page that supposedly someone in the media said he was found in Buttonwillow. I am not reporting this as news, just weird that someone would say that. While we hope it is true, I doubt it is true and it is horrible that someone would write that without providing a reference considering the parents monitor the page!!!

 

[nikb]

http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/97718/
Body adult male found 6/5/13 in car near Gorman-may be suicide.

https://www.myworldnews.com/Channel...-details-about-body-found-off-i-5-near-gorman
Body found 8/28/13 near Gorman unidentified black adult male.

Marti Myers was found in Boron Ca over 100 miles away so I don't think that one would be related but who knows?

Now we have Bryce and an additional unidentified male body. Are there any others?

Good finds! Marti's thread title read Castaic but I didn't realize Boron (where she was found) is so far away. I think it's unknown or at least unreported at this point if hers was/may have been suicide. I know the cases are probably all unrelated, but I just wonder. No others that I know of, wonder if anyone else has seen or read of others?

 

[nikb]

This is very weird. Sounds like it there could be a serial killer (regardless if the body is Bryce's).

Someone has posted on his Facebook page that supposedly someone in the media said he was found in Buttonwillow. I am not reporting this as news, just weird that someone would say that. While we hope it is true, I doubt it is true and it is horrible that someone would write that without providing a reference considering the parents monitor the page!!!

If I read correctly I think Buttonwillow is where he was found the first time, then he went missing again. I wonder if the media reported him as "Found" in Buttonwillow and sort of skipped the second part. Or maybe he went back to Buttonwillow again? But not sure how he'd get there after that accident.

No offense to anyone in Buttonwillow, but I did not feel safe there AT ALL the couple of times hubby and I have been there for races (car/road course). It's the only racetrack we've been to where people regularly got stuff stolen right at the track, and I ran into town exactly once by myself to grab a few things from a local convenience store and decided never again. Maybe I accidentally picked a bad part of town, I don't know, but it made me really worry for Bryce when I read he had stopped there for awhile - possibly for a nap, possibly to hang out with friends? I've read both in stories posted upthread.

 

[HereIsMeAgain]

I also thought they said it was someone on a motorcycle that initially saw the flames and tried to put them out themselves. Then they realized there was a body within the flames and called 911. I wish I DVRed it so I could play it back. I'll do that next time.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9235787

The say bicyclist here

 

[AnjL]

This is very weird. Sounds like it there could be a serial killer (regardless if the body is Bryce's).

Someone has posted on his Facebook page that supposedly someone in the media said he was found in Buttonwillow. I am not reporting this as news, just weird that someone would say that. While we hope it is true, I doubt it is true and it is horrible that someone would write that without providing a reference considering the parents monitor the page!!!

I think there's some confusion on the part of the Facebook post.

Bryce WAS missing in Buttonwillow but then mom had LE or tow truck driver find him (or both?) then he went missing again in Castaic after the accident. So yes he was missing and found in Buttonwillow, but is missing again.

 

[AnjL]

I wish there was more info on the video of Bryce's vehicle traveling to the lake 3 times. I doubt that they could see the driver in the video since they contacted the parents at 8am the morning of the accident and asked if their vehicle was stolen. Wonder if they were able to identify and confirm that Bryce was driving and are just keeping that info to themselves?

 

[nikb]

Sierra College has a branch in Chico

Ah thank you! That makes way more sense.

Ok... so now I'm extra confused. Chico branch made sense, but this story is saying it was Sierra College in Rocklin. http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news...nt/-/12970852/21771812/-/q92w68z/-/index.html. So his girlfriend(ex?) is at Chico state, Bryce was at Rocklin Sierra College, and family is in SoCal? Rocklin and Roseville LE haven't been contacted according to this story.

Sorry if this is a repeat, I didn't recall seeing it, but admittedly may have missed it. The story includes an interview with the former roommate, and with the girlfriend. This interview/story says he was starting his second year at Sierra College.

In this story they're saying he wanted a fresh new start in a new community and that he'd recently moved to Northern CA for school at Rocklin's Sierra College. He lived with the interviewed room-mate last Spring but they were evicted from the dorms. I wonder where he was living, and where he moved to? Roommate also says that they didn't depart on very good terms and he expected "nothing good from the path that he [Bryce] was on." This scares me. Doesn't scare me that the roommate would be even remotely involved, but obviously something's been wrong for awhile if this all happened last Spring.

All in the story above. Sorry again if it's a repeat.

 

[UCLAEigenguy]

No offense to anyone in Buttonwillow, but I did not feel safe there AT ALL the couple of times hubby and I have been there for races (car/road course). It's the only racetrack we've been to where people regularly got stuff stolen right at the track, and I ran into town exactly once by myself to grab a few things from a local convenience store and decided never again. Maybe I accidentally picked a bad part of town, I don't know, but it made me really worry for Bryce when I read he had stopped there for awhile - possibly for a nap, possibly to hang out with friends? I've read both in stories posted upthread.

I've never stopped in Buttonwillow but I have driven that I-5 corridor and most of it from Northern LA County past Santa Clarita through Kern County feels unsafe or at least sketchy... meaning in none of those areas would I want to find myself stranded at night. These are very secluded, desolate, quiet and dark towns at night. I definitely wouldn't drive that stretch alone and I definitely would not stop, though I am a chicken. These are mainly transient towns like tourist stops to get gas etc. much like Mojave, Barstow, and the little towns along US-395 towards Mammoth. They are similar to some of our high desert towns -- typically country folk, blue collar, lower to middle class with higher than average drug activity (like meth).

From Google Maps it looks like Buttonwillow is mainly a trucker stop (lots of motels, fast food, gas stations, travel centers like TA etc). Incidentally, Castaic is as well, though Castaic has more regular traffic and is more of an actual town.

It's true what they say. Nothing good happens after 1am.

In this story they're saying he wanted a fresh new start in a new community and that he'd recently moved to Northern CA for school at Rocklin's Sierra College. He lived with the interviewed room-mate last Spring but they were evicted from the dorms. I wonder where he was living, and where he moved to? Roommate also says that they didn't depart on very good terms and he expected "nothing good from the path that he [Bryce] was on." This scares me. Doesn't scare me that the roommate would be even remotely involved, but obviously something's been wrong for awhile if this all happened last Spring.

Bryce is hiding something. Getting evicted from a college dorm is very difficult -- more difficult than an apartment; would have to be something like excessive alcohol or drug use that was negatively affecting others, destruction of property, violence, threats of self harm or doing dangerous that put others or property at risk (like setting fires) etc but that would typically involve the police. Of course, not paying rent is an easy way to get thrown out, but Laguna Niguel is upper-middle to upper class. I wonder where the money went if it was not paying rent.

 

[AstroKitty]

To get evicted from most dorms it takes a bit of really bad irresponsibility. Typically partying, stealing, various guests that aren't allowed in the dorms much less overnight and drugs.

I have a feeling that drugs played a bit part in this and not because of the 1 pill. It's just a suspicion. From day 1 of this I've wondered if he had infact not returned to school this year like he was supposed to - and or wasn't going to return but his parents either already had paid and he was going to just go along with it or something of that nature. he would be in his 2nd year - correct? Many people get freshman blues and having just moved from a rather sheltered burb outside of chicago into another city on a coast far away - drugs would be a welcomed escape to some.

Im curious if the talk to his mom was how he wasn't returning to school this semester? Did they go back or expect to go back Tuesday of this week? I returned 2 weeks ago but I know many others didn't start back till Tuesday. Or had he started back and just didn't bother to attend?

If his focus was more into partying and finding himself - I could see why he was wanting to leave the gf and hell, maybe return back here to the midwest? homesickness is awful and Im sure he experienced it. More so if maybe they returned this summer to visit people they knew and loved back home.

 

[AnjL]

Ok... so now I'm extra confused. Chico branch made sense, but this story is saying it was Sierra College in Rocklin. http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news...nt/-/12970852/21771812/-/q92w68z/-/index.html. So his girlfriend(ex?) is at Chico state, Bryce was at Rocklin Sierra College, and family is in SoCal? Rocklin and Roseville LE haven't been contacted according to this story.

Sorry if this is a repeat, I didn't recall seeing it, but admittedly may have missed it. The story includes an interview with the former roommate, and with the girlfriend. This interview/story says he was starting his second year at Sierra College.

In this story they're saying he wanted a fresh new start in a new community and that he'd recently moved to Northern CA for school at Rocklin's Sierra College. He lived with the interviewed room-mate last Spring but they were evicted from the dorms. I wonder where he was living, and where he moved to? Roommate also says that they didn't depart on very good terms and he expected "nothing good from the path that he [Bryce] was on." This scares me. Doesn't scare me that the roommate would be even remotely involved, but obviously something's been wrong for awhile if this all happened last Spring.

All in the story above. Sorry again if it's a repeat.

KCRA is supposed to be my 'local' new station and MOO they frequently report fiction instead of facts.

In that article they state that Bryce lived in Roseville, and later state he lived in Rocklin. Girlfriend lived in Chico. I assumed that since Sierra college has many campuses that Bryce attended the one closest to his friends and girlfriend in Chico. Now I too am confused . Rocklin is about 80 miles south of Chico. That's a long ways away from a girl friend he has only been dating for 5 mos. how would he have met her if he previously lived in IL, then southern ca? I really wish news reporters would concentrate on verified facts and not 'fill in with fiction' whenever they want. Ugh!

 

[AnjL]

I've never stopped in Buttonwillow but I have driven that I-5 corridor and most of it from Northern LA County past Santa Clarita through Kern County feels unsafe or at least sketchy... meaning in none of those areas would I want to find myself stranded at night. These are very secluded, desolate, quiet and dark towns at night. I definitely wouldn't drive that stretch alone and I definitely would not stop, though I am a chicken. These are mainly transient towns like tourist stops to get gas etc. much like Mojave, Barstow, and the little towns along US-395 towards Mammoth. They are similar to some of our high desert towns -- typically country folk, blue collar, lower to middle class with higher than average drug activity (like meth).

From Google Maps it looks like Buttonwillow is mainly a trucker stop (lots of motels, fast food, gas stations, travel centers like TA etc). Incidentally, Castaic is as well, though Castaic has more regular traffic and is more of an actual town.

SBM
I have driven this portion of I5 many, many times but thankfully it's been a few years. Its the longest, most boring stretch of HWY from Nor Cal to So Cal. My parents always warned us girls to fuel up and use the facilities before we reached and then NOT stop unless we absolutely had to. When my parents drove us we stopped in Gorman, Buttonwillow and Lost Hills. Basically all of the towns from Lost Hills to Santa Clarita were truck stop type places at that time. I'm not sure if its built up now, I haven't driven to So Cal in 10-15 yrs.

 

[alreetlike]

Still no sign of Bryce?

I still think this is a man whose mental health has taken a tumble, for whatever reason, and he's harmed himself.

 

[sophiebelle]

That's for certain. My own son had some minor rebellion issues as a teen (home after curfew etc) nothing awful or horrible. Then he disappeared for 4mos right after he turned 20. We found him in a catatonic state. I thought he was doing drugs and that caused his conditions. Doctors ran tests and no drugs in his system, also did hair follicle test. No prior drug use at all. He simply stopped sleeping, got anxious, hallucinations began, and he just spiraled. It's been 5 yrs now and he has never been the same since. He's been diagnosed with schizophrenic effective. I've been told that each time he goes off his meds and hallucinations start it gets worse and worse.

My prayers for this family and Bryce. I hope it is NOT mental illness, and that he is found safe soon!

I am sorry to hear your son has these problems. My mother's morning caregiver said her son did the same and he's 21 now and he can't work or go to school. He was in his senior year at high school and just started refusing to go, or even leave the house. She said he won't take his meds because he says they make him feel strange. He calls her a dozen times during her shift to ask about meals or if he can "feed the earth" with her food. It's sad to see it, for both of them. So people can just have an abrupt mental issue, that's not seen as that in the beginnning. I'm sure BL's friends could tell a real story and they may have for all we know.

 

[hannah1988]

There are a few questions that keep bothering me:
+Why did he take the route through Buttonwillow and Castaic home? It seems like this wasn't the fastest route; maybe he really was meeting up with someone there?
+If he was meeting up with someone, why isn't this on his cell phone records? (Maybe he had a second cell phone so that his parents couldn't monitor all of his calls?)
+If he did have a mental health issue, why did he stay so long in Buttonwillow by himself? Wouldn't someone in Buttonwillow have noticed him acting abnormally during that time?

 

[ArianeEmory]

I think there's some confusion on the part of the Facebook post.

Bryce WAS missing in Buttonwillow but then mom had LE or tow truck driver find him (or both?) then he went missing again in Castaic after the accident. So yes he was missing and found in Buttonwillow, but is missing again.

Yikes, no wonder I feel completely confused every time I click on this thread.

Is there a unified timeline I could look at anywhere, either WS- or MSM-created?

 

[Idon'tneedthesame]

Yikes, no wonder I feel completely confused every time I click on this thread.

Is there a unified timeline I could look at anywhere, either WS- or MSM-created?

Wow, that is very odd!

 

[kevsrebla]

New here, but this is what I have for a time line

Monday August 26 Bryce attends his speech class and web design class at Sierra College and has a “good normal conversation” with his mother, according to her. The family has a photo taken that afternoon of a “happy” Bryce posing with a Madden sports video game.

Tuesday 27th Bryce admits to his girlfriend he took at least one pill described as medication for attention deficit disorder, according to conversations relayed by the girlfriend to Bryce’s mother. “He was acting strange and he admitted he took that pill,” she said quoting the girlfriend.

Wednesday 1:30pm told his mom he was breaking up with his girl friend Kim Sly, they started dating March 15th ish
She (mother)also received information that Bryce had taken a pill, or pills normally prescribed for children suffering from attention deficit disorder.

10 p.m. Wednesday - Bryce reportedly tries to break up with his girlfriend. Friends, concerned about his behavior, take away his car keys.

10:30 p.m. Wednesday - Karen Laspisa tells the friends, by phone, to return the keys to her son after she speaks to him she told him she was going to fly up to the college to see him, he reportedly said: “Mom, do not make any flight. I have a lot to talk to you about.’”

Wednesday 11:30pm Bryce Laspisa leaves Chico, according to his girlfriend, Kim.
journey started Wednesday north of Sacramento

Wednesday 10pm left Sierra College in Rocklin north of Sacramento and began his drive to Laguna Niguel.

Thursday 9:am Bryce ran out of gas and called roadside assistance from the Buttonwillow Rest Area west of Bakersfield, a fact confirmed by the credit card company.

Thursday 12pm a roadside assistance serviceman named Christian delivers three gallons of gasoline to Bryce, according to a $20 credit card purchase for the fuel. “He’s not answering his phone (at this time),” his mother said.

Thursday 12:30pm Karen Laspisa calls serviceman Christian and asks about her son. He tells her he appears “OK” but adds: “His eyes look a little red.” Bryce does not answer his cell phone.

Thursday 9pm responding to a call from the mother, CHP officers stop and search Bryce’s car spotted on Lagoon Drive in Buttonwillow. “Something happened in the whole 10 hours he was around there,” she said. This may be the time at which he was considered missing with police first but then taken off that list.

Thursday 10pm Karen speaks to her son on the phone and asks: “What are you doing?” His response, she said, is: “I’m going to hang with friends later.”Thirty minutes later, he bought a $1.71 beverage from a Shell gas station near Buttonwillow exit on the corner of Tracey Ave and Lagoon Dr

Friday 12:30 am parents tried calling him but got no answer

Friday 1:50am Bryce’s parents reached him and he had said he was driving on the I-5 but could not see any signs, she said.

Friday 2:08 am last call to parents, was tired and going to pullover to rest. “He told me ‘I got off the I-5 and I’m in a suburban area. I’m going to sleep in my car,’” said Karen Laspisa (mother) “I told him to call me when he got up the next morning.”
He never called

Between 2:08 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday - Bryce makes three trips to the crash site – the last trip ending with the crash, according to what his mother described as surveillance footage captured by cameras set up near Castaic Lake.
The crash had to happen between 4:20 a.m. and 5:15 a.m, It had gone down a 15-foot ravine nose first and landed on the passenger side. Bryce (or someone) has used an emergency tool to break the back window

Friday 5:30 am officers of the California Highway Patrol found his 2003 Toyota Highlander SUV on its side at the bottom of a 15-foot ravine on the Castaic Lake Main Boat Launch access road(Main Ramp Rd. The back window had been shattered.
cell phone, laptop and wallet inside the vehicle.
“There was some blood but they don’t know if it’s Bryce’s,” she said, adding investigators are now examining it for clues.
Friday 8am local police went to parents house to inform them they had found the SUV

That's what I got. Did I miss anything?