CA CA - Dane Elkins, 21, UC Santa Cruz student, vehicle found Castaic area, 20 Dec 2020

[tarabull]

‘It’s every mom’s worst nightmare’: Brentwood family searching for missing 21-year-old | KTLA

Snipped...
...Dane Elkins was last seen around 8:20 p.m. Dec. 20, near the 5 Freeway and Templin Highway in the Castaic area, where his car was found abandoned with his wallet and cellphone still inside, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

...Authorities have searched the area where his car was found and community members organized search efforts in hopes of finding the young man, his family said.

Elkins has brown hair and green eyes. He stands around 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs around 170 pounds.

Anyone who spots him or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours, tipsters can call 1-877-527-3247. Those who wish to provide a tip anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

[video at link]

 

[Penny4YourThoughts]

Dane's Facebook

 

[realanastasia]

Whoa, he is a nationally-ranked professional racquetball player: Dane Elkins - Wikipedia And so are his dad, snd his younger brother too. I wonder if there was a any family pressure on him to excel academically and athletically...?

 

[SimplyCass]

Young adult in college goes missing in the Castaic area, car abandoned, but cell phone/wallet in the car...gives me Bryce Laspisa vibes. *shivers*

Edit: I can't get Google Maps to cooperate, but the I-5, Exit 183 is Templin Highway.

 

[PommyMommy]

‘It’s every mom’s worst nightmare’: Brentwood family searching for missing 21-year-old | KTLA

Snipped...
...Dane Elkins was last seen around 8:20 p.m. Dec. 20, near the 5 Freeway and Templin Highway in the Castaic area, where his car was found abandoned with his wallet and cellphone still inside, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

...Authorities have searched the area where his car was found and community members organized search efforts in hopes of finding the young man, his family said.

Elkins has brown hair and green eyes. He stands around 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs around 170 pounds.

Anyone who spots him or has any information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours, tipsters can call 1-877-527-3247. Those who wish to provide a tip anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

[video at link]

From the article:

The mother said she felt that Elkins was suffering from paranoia and suicidal thoughts the last time she spoke with him, adding that she believes the pandemic may have taken a toll on his mental health.

I am seeing this in so many cases right now. I sure hope he's found safe. MOO

 

[kaen]

Unfortunately, this is an age where major mental health problems can be manifested. I hope Dane is safe. However, I am worried that he is not.

 

[dulcinea]

MISSING PERSON | Dane Elkins - VC Reporter | Times Media Group
"Dane Elkins has been missing since Dec. 20, and was believed to have been seen last night, Dec. 27, at a gas station on Ventura Blvd., in Tarzana."

 

[cvaldez1975]

Young adult in college goes missing in the Castaic area, car abandoned, but cell phone/wallet in the car...gives me Bryce Laspisa vibes. *shivers*

Edit: I can't get Google Maps to cooperate, but the I-5, Exit 183 is Templin Highway.

i immediately thought of Bryce.

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 28, 2020
Investigators Seeking Information On Missing Brentwood Man Last Seen In Castaic (hometownstation.com)

• He was last seen in a blue jacket and black pants, according to a missing person’s page organized by his mother.
• He may have facial hair.

DEC 29, 2020
Urgent: Local Engineering Student with Mental Health Problems is Missing - Santa Monica Observer (smobserved.com)

• He was possibly spotted in Reseda at a gas station on Christmas, according to a friend, walking around apparently jittery and nervous.
• The family has hired a PI and has organized searches, including this morning, of the area around Dane's abandoned car.

 

[swedeheart]

From the article:

The mother said she felt that Elkins was suffering from paranoia and suicidal thoughts the last time she spoke with him, adding that she believes the pandemic may have taken a toll on his mental health.

I am seeing this in so many cases right now. I sure hope he's found safe. MOO

I was thinking the same thing @ the bolded. It's almost like this is the new "last seen leaving the bar/ found in water" situation for young missing men! This type of scenario has really ramped up the last few months, not just for men.

Imo.

 

[ElementalLaura]

<RS&BBM>
I am seeing this in so many cases right now. I sure hope he's found safe. MOO

Amen, @swedeheart and @PommyMommy. It’s a tough time for many, and Dane is likely gifted academically and athletically, given his major and racquetball ranking.

It’s great news that he’s been spotted in the area several times recently, according to family members. I hope they are able to locate him soon.

 

[YaYa_521]

No new updates. Dane's family has set up a FB group. I hope he's found safety somewhere. Call home, Dane.
Searching for Dane Elkins

 

[10ofRods]

MISSING PERSON | Dane Elkins - VC Reporter | Times Media Group
"Dane Elkins has been missing since Dec. 20, and was believed to have been seen last night, Dec. 27, at a gas station on Ventura Blvd., in Tarzana."

Well...that's a very different location than first reported and a bit more hopeful.

It's almost as if, as he got closer to home, he started taking side trips or breaks. Perhaps to get his head together. If he is in fact undergoing some kind of psychotic episode due to onset of mental illness (he's right at the prime age for a couple of major mental illnesses), it's really hard to go back into one's ordinary family life.

Do they have a description of his car? It's weird he was on the I-5 and then went over to Tarzana rather than to Brentwood. I'm hoping he has a friend in Tarzana or nearby, who offered him some comfort and a place to stay.

BTW, I saw a man strongly resembling Bryce Laspisa living homeless near a riverbed (the riverbed goes through the Castaic area where he went missing - but this was about 20 miles away). I called the hotline and everything and was told that others had reported him intermittently in the same area - to call local police immediately if I saw him again (I was in a moving car when I saw this person and I've been kicking myself ever since - I didn't place the face right away, he looks way older and really suntanned/burnt if it's him, but the same smile, he was begging by the side of a road where there are almost always beggars standing). I made some posters and handed them out to a few local businesses (no one had seen him, said they really didn't pay much attention to the beggars but would keep an eye out),

I haven't seen him since and now of course I'm not commuting.

Reseda and Tarzana aren't too far apart...both are near CSUNorthridge, where there are tons of students, student housing complexes, etc.

 

[indicolite22]

Do they have a description of his car? It's weird he was on the I-5 and then went over to Tarzana rather than to Brentwood. I'm hoping he has a friend in Tarzana or nearby, who offered him some comfort and a place to stay.

His car was found abandoned in the Castaic area, so his last sighting in Tarzana was likely after that. Perhaps someone gave him a ride or he's been on foot since leaving the car behind.

 

[PommyMommy]

Map of the general points mentioned: Castaic - car found, Reseda-12/25 sighting, Tarzana 12/27 sighting, Brentwood - home

Gas stations in Reseda: gas station - Google Maps

Gas stations on Ventura Blvd, Tarzana: gas station - Google Maps

Where are his car keys? Did he lock himself out, run out of gas...flat tire? ie: What was the condition of his vehicle?

 

[PommyMommy]

One of the articles posted above (see post 9) says he was possibly spotted in Reseda at a gas station on Christmas. However, the first one below says "Reseda Boulevard" which of course, is probably still in Reseda but this is more specific. MOO

DEC 30, 2020
Family Searches For Missing Brentwood Son Last Seen At Castaic | Pacific Palisades, CA Patch
There have been reported sightings of him in the Valley area as well, possibly near Reseda Boulevard and Ventura Boulevard.

DEC 31, 2020
Search for Missing Jewish Man Continues (jewishjournal.com)
The mother told the Journal on Dec. 31 that according to their personal investigator, Elkins “is hiding because he is in a paranoid state” and that he was taking a break from his “hard classes in engineering at Santa Cruz so… he stayed with us for awhile at home” before he went missing.

 

[PommyMommy]

No new information, unfortunately.

JAN 2, 2021
Urgent: Local Engineering Student with Mental Health Problems is Missing - Santa Monica Observer (smobserved.com)
[...]

If anyone thinks they see Dane, they should keep a discreet distance because of his paranoia, take photos for confirmation, and call 911 or the LAPD's Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours, call 1-877-527-3247. Those who wish to provide a tip anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

 

[ElementalLaura]

<RSBM>
Where are his car keys? Did he lock himself out, run out of gas...flat tire? ie: What was the condition of his vehicle?

I haven’t seen that it’s not in working condition, but, from the state of mind his family describes, it’s probably best that he not be driving right now.

Still, it would seem a minor comfort to know he had access to it as shelter.

Although the fact that he’s alive and being seen is great (mental illness can make people vulnerable targets in addition to creating dangerous situations despite the person not wishing to self-harm or to threaten others), this will be very difficult for his family, especially if he refuses treatment due to paranoia.

There seem to be limited options for family to help adults who can still minimally navigate life while very clearly showing symptoms of mental illness. My heart goes out to them and to Dane, and I hope that he can be convinced to accept his family’s help.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 5, 2021
LA family searching for missing man who may be in Kern County | KGET 17

Eytan Wallace KGET | Facebook
Dane’s mom says that he was driving in the Bakersfield area before he went missing, and she believes he may have hitchhiked to the greater Kern County Area after he abandoned his car.

 

[10ofRods]

Okay...so was he driving north from Brentwood and abandoned his car in Castaic (which, btw, is a very vague area - there's Castaic proper and Castaic Junction and lots of people call part of the surrounding area "Castaic").

Car found at I-5 near Templeton Highway (that seems certain). If he was heading back to school, then it seems probable that he would continue northward into Kern County. Thing is, "Templeton Highway" changes names as it approaches the I-5 (it would be better if they just said Highway 46).

Which is, as I thought, only "near" Castaic. It's actually in Lost Hills not only (way) north of Castaic but even north of the next town that locals think is important (Gorman).

So he was pretty far north. If I google how to get from the Templeton Highway to the I-5 (a route often taken by people from Bakersfield to get to the coast), it puts him even further north (on the intersection of the 41 and the 5), which is basically *in* Bakersfield.

So...I would think a big search effort needs to take place in Bakersfield, not Castaic. One of the newspaper articles says there's a family search page for Dane, but I can't find it - if anyone has the link, that would be great. Maybe I can find out more about where his car was abandoned. The intersection of the two highways (no matter whether the 41 or the 46) has a reasonably big travel stop.