She had posted in one of the local groups here in Lancaster that he might have been seen here about five minutes from my house a few days before he was supposedly seen up by Lake Isabella. It's about a two hour drive to get up there so its entirely plausible for him to hitchhike up there. The good thing IMO, is that all the supposed sightings for the most part, have been in the same region just spread out between a few cities.More reports of possible sightings from mom's Facebook group, "Searching for Dane Elkins"
He may be in Bakersfield or Apple Valley.
I wish I was closer, I'd go out looking for him
More reports of possible sightings from mom's Facebook group, "Searching for Dane Elkins"
He may be in Bakersfield or Apple Valley.
I wish I was closer, I'd go out looking for him
They're focusing in on the Lake Isabella area right now. Supposedly several sightings over the last two weeks and someone checked into a campground in the area using his name in the last week. Before this, all of the sightings were spread out so hopefully it is him in the area and they find him soonHow would you organize that search? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the various sightings. Bakersfield is a huge, urban sprawl. It is surrounded by numerous small towns and several wilderness areas. Significant homeless population on both sides of the 99 highway.
I was certain I saw another young man who went missing not far from Castaic, and when I called the hotline number from Facebook, they told me to call local police - and that others had also done so. Of course, by the time I learned all this, he was no longer standing on a median strip near the freeway. I asked a couple of local businesses to be on the lookout for him, but what are the chances he'll just wander into a dentist's office or a home mortgage office? The Carl's Fast Food employees didn't recognize him - but, they are pretty busy inside their work and none of their main windows face the intersection, where this young man stood begging for money.
So I've thought about it a lot. I live in a suburb a fraction the size of Bakersfield - I personally find Bakersfield harder to understand and navigate than Los Angeles's various cities. Apple Valley is a different matter altogether - if Dane were there, I'd think posters and regular LE contact would do wonders. Anyway, if you look at a google map of Bakersfield (vs. Castaic or Apple Valley), you'll see how densely packed it is. About 400,000 people in 150 square miles, plus the small farming towns nearby...
Anyway, I will take pix of any transient-looking young men I see (but would feel quite unsafe getting off on a random offramp in Bakersfield - even though I have family there, they say it's best if they come down this way...) This is because I'm older and because Bakersfield has more than twice the violent crime rate of the place where I live.
(There are some nice areas of Bakersfield of course, but I no longer understand its urban dynamics...)
Wow, thanks for the update! The campground check-in sounds like a very promising leadThey're focusing in on the Lake Isabella area right now. Supposedly several sightings over the last two weeks and someone checked into a campground in the area using his name in the last week. Before this, all of the sightings were spread out so hopefully it is him in the area and they find him soon
They're focusing in on the Lake Isabella area right now. Supposedly several sightings over the last two weeks and someone checked into a campground in the area using his name in the last week. Before this, all of the sightings were spread out so hopefully it is him in the area and they find him soon
Best time of year to be hiking around getting your head right. Kid should call his mom, though.Yes - he is at the age where schizophrenia (and bipolar) often appear. Family history would be the best indicator of this (if it's available for the past few generation - not everyone who has the genes will get these illnesses, but almost no one gets these illnesses without those genes).
Lake Isabella is really really crowded right now. And it's a good place to get rides to other places in the Sequoia National Forest or other nearby wilderness places in Kern and Inyo Counties. The fact that he checked in there (we hope) is a good sign - he's functioning pretty well.