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

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PommyMommy said:
Video interview with Dane's mom. She says there are sightings every day and so far none of them have been credible but not all of them have been followed up on. She mentions some locations of the potential sightings and says they are meeting at the Coffee Bean today because a lot of them have been there or in that area.

FEB 13, 2021
Brentwood family continues search 2 months after student went missing | KTLA
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For the sake of the family, I really hope that these sightings have truly been him. This is a race against time. Assuming that the sightings are accurate, he has been out there for nearly two months. Having left behind all of his technology, he has very limited means of communication with his loved ones, and without a car, he probably has to resort to unconventional and dangerous methods of getting around town. The thought of him, as he currently is, possibly walking on the highway to get from place to place or hitchhiking with strangers horrifies me. There has also been plenty of time for his mental state to worsen, as the odds are virtually zero that he has received any sort of medical assistance in the time following his breakdown. After suffering a mental breakdown of this severity and duration, he is probably going to need intensive and long-term care, in my non-medical opinion.

I've watched several videos of Dane on his mother's and sister's TikTok profiles. He seems like a very fun, silly person, and like I said before, he has so much going for him. It is absolutely saddening to see his life unravel in such a dramatic and public manner.
 
10ofRods said:
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.
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Templin Highway and Templeton Highway are two different places. Templin Highway is just north of Castaic.

The 41 and 5 intersection is far north of Bakersfield. It's about 75 miles from Bakersfield to that intersection. Where his car was found is about 60 miles south of Bakersfield.

As far as the travel stops goes, there's on in Gorman, a few in Frazier Park just a few miles north of there and then a bunch in Grapevine at the bottom of the hill. After that, theres only one or two all the way to Lost Hills.
 
FEB 17, 2021
Search continues for missing UC Santa Cruz student who may be in Kern County | KGET 17
[...]

In the days leading up to his disappearance, Elkins became mentally distressed due to the pandemic, driving up and down the state from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles and back, per Elkins’ mother DE.

She believes he stopped in Bakersfield on a few occasions and knows the area, adding it’s possible he ended up in Kern County after he abandoned his car.

Elkins’ friend AV, who traveled to Bakersfield recently to search for him, said she spoke with a few homeless people who say they saw Dane in late December in the downtown area near the bus station on 21st St. and Chester Ave.

“[I am] just trying to take it at face value, but it was really reassuring to hear that more than one person in Bakersfield knew who he was and had seen him or felt like they had seen him,” AV said. “I can’t emphasize how selfless he is to his family and friends. Your family loves you. I’m here, your dad’s here. Miss you a lot.”

[...]

 
Missing 21-year-old man possibly in Kern County

A 21-year-old Los Angeles man has been missing for over two months and potential sightings have led his mother to believe he may be in Kern County.

His mother, Deborah Kassin Elkins said to Eyewitness News that since he is an adult, it is very difficult to reach Dane. She said that as long as he's not a danger to the public, he would not be contacted by police.

She said homeless people she has spoken said they have seen Dane at the GET Bus terminal on 21st St and Chester Avenue. She adds that he is possibly living on the street, sleeping in a car.
 
Dawookie said:
Templin Highway and Templeton Highway are two different places. Templin Highway is just north of Castaic.

The 41 and 5 intersection is far north of Bakersfield. It's about 75 miles from Bakersfield to that intersection. Where his car was found is about 60 miles south of Bakersfield.

As far as the travel stops goes, there's on in Gorman, a few in Frazier Park just a few miles north of there and then a bunch in Grapevine at the bottom of the hill. After that, theres only one or two all the way to Lost Hills.
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There's also a gas/convenience store right at Templin (not much in the entity called Castaic, it's unincorporated, has no police, but includes a southern area, Castaic Junction, that has more services, and it also is fairly close to some housing tracts). Would be a long walk to Gorman (uphill, too). I'm trying to remember if there's anything between the Pilot Travel Center and Gorman (almost 30 miles away - but way more people stop there).

He certainly could have started hitchhiking northward from Castaic via a ride from Pilot Travel. I wonder if anyone has gone to Pilot Travel to ask - too late, probably, for video.

Police will only come to investigate a missing person if the caller has their eyes on them at the time of the call - at least, that's been my experience in another missing persons case from the same area. If he's in Downtown Bakersfield and any family are reading, might be worth hiring a PI. Also, fliers should be posted all around the University area, which isn't too far away and where he would be blending in. He can't be in his own car, but there are a lot of homeless in Bakersfield and someone might have abandoned a car.
 
I wish the very best to Dane’s mother & family. I can’t imagine the anguish you must be going thru.

Dane — if you see this please call your mother! She loves you very very much and your family only want the best for you. You are such a talented and inspiring young man and it would be so great if you could go home soon. This sounds cliche but things will improve! Never stop smiling!
 
kaen said:
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.
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bbm
Good point -- I saw it happen to three of my friends (one good friend and two occasional friends) when I was in college. Two of them were freshman, one was a sophomore. All three exceptionally intelligent. The strains of a new place, dormitory life, rigorous academics, new freedom, etc., etc. All three were diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
It is common for BPD to manifest during this period of life -- age 17--22 or so.
 
10ofRods said:
Okay, found a bit more (thanks to the KGET page). Templeton Highway is the 46. It lands on the I-5 just *northwest* of Bakersfield.

So his "last known location" should be "outskirts of NW Bakersfield." At a truck stop area. Good place to hitchhike for sure.
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(Or could be bad place to hitchhike.)
Thanks for the info of the locations -- good info.
 
April 12 2021
‘Credible Sighting’ In Case Of Missing Person Dane Elkins
dane-elkins-041221.jpg

Photo courtesy of Elkins family
''The family of 22-year-old missing person Dane Elkins, a 23-time national champion racquetball player whose car was found abandoned in Castaic in December 2020, announced Monday that they had recently received word of a “credible sighting.”
According to his mother, Elkins interacted with two witnesses in Mojave, California near the intersection of the 14 Freeway and Mojave-Barstow Highway on Feb. 5, about 50 miles north of the Santa Clarita Valley.

“We had one of the worst weeks, it was his birthday (recently) and it was devastating to be without him, so to get this and have new information… It’s relieving but it’s a different kind of worry,” his mother, Deborah Elkins, said in a phone call with KHTS Monday.

The two women spoke with the man assumed to be Elkins and bought him lunch, during which he reportedly told them that he was traveling on foot northward, possibly to Portland. His mother mentioned that this destination made sense due to another potential sighting in Bakersfield that had been investigated previously.''
 
APR 18, 2021
Missing California College Student Possibly Seen – NBC Los Angeles
[...]

The possible sighting happened on February 5th in Mojave by JB and her daughter, VP, who say they spoke with Elkins for about 10 minutes.

“He came in and asked us if we were roughing it, that he had been roughing it a few months," JB said.

JB and VP say they spoke for ten minutes, helped him get some food, before he was on his way.

[...]

“In person he looked darker than the pictures, so I was like that doesn’t look the same person,” VP said. “But then I heard the voice. The build was the same, the hair was the same.”

[...]
 
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