Found Deceased CA - Jolissa Fuentes, 22, Selma, 7 Aug 2022

[Knox]

SELMA, Calif. (FOX26) — “We are going to find Miss Fuentes, I don’t know how long it’s going to take but we are going to find her,” says Selma Chief Rudy Alcaraz during a news conference Monday afternoon.

On Aug. 11, the phone company was able to track down a ping near the area of Pine Flat and Avocado Lake.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office was called in to help and focus on the physical search and the Selma Police Department focused more on Fuentes's digital footprint.

Thus far, the multiple agencies and teams involved have conducted 15 hours of flight time, 20 hours on the main roads, 43 hours searching the waterways, and over 288 hours searching the off roads near the last ping area.

According to the chief, they are currently conducting a side scan search but the area is known to be very large and complex to search.

Jolissa's aunt Joann Banda says the family has now moved the search from Selma to the foothills. She told Fox 26 news, "It's the last place that they're telling us where she was at so we have hope we're gonna find her."

Selma police provide update on missing Selma woman

KMPH Fox 26 is the Central Valley's news leader, covering Fresno, California and the surrounding area, including Clovis, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Biola, Kerman, Tranquillity, San Joaquin, Reedley, Coalinga, Avenal, Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Caruthers, Tollhouse, Three Rivers, Porterville, and Merced.

kmph.com

Like I thought, a cell phone ping is leading them to search the lakes.

 

[Knox]

Deputies have followed up on many leads and tips from New Mexico to Fresno County.

Annalists have also been digging into her social media accounts as they say a 22-year-old with no digital data is extremely rare.

As of now, no criminal activity is suspected but due to the length of time she has been missing, they are treating this as a criminal matter.

So far officials have been met with dead ends and have found nothing during the searches.

Detectives will continue their efforts on her social media to try and narrow the search.

Selma police provide update on missing Selma woman

KMPH Fox 26 is the Central Valley's news leader, covering Fresno, California and the surrounding area, including Clovis, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Biola, Kerman, Tranquillity, San Joaquin, Reedley, Coalinga, Avenal, Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Caruthers, Tollhouse, Three Rivers, Porterville, and Merced.

kmph.com

 

[Knox]

Highlights from Pressor -

• Jolissa appears to be alone when she leaves the AM/PM.
• LE served search warrants to gather cell records, bank records, social media and other digital information.
• They have followed up on many tips and leads, nothing is leading them to find Jolissa.
• Cell pings indicate Jolissa drove through Sanger and continued on to the Avocado Lake area.
• SPD is sharing the digital data with Fresno County Sheriff, FPD & the FBI, to see if they can help analyze.
• LE is trying to refine the triangulation ping data in order to do a more focused search. It's a vast search area right now.
• Someone in the audience asked the chief, to share information so the family could provide meaningful help in the search. I think it was her Father. Chief replied that they have to protect the investigation, God forbid this might turn into something criminal.
• Reporter asked if LE thinks she is alive or is this a recovery effort. Chief replied he expects the worst but hopes for the best and that's all I can say right now.
• Does Jolissa go to this area (Pine Flat/Avocado Lake) often? She has been there in the past according to family.
• AWP has not reached out to LE in this case. They are coming at the request of the family.

 

[samsmom]

I remember aqueducts in central California. They pulled cars out of there all the time. I’m not familiar with Selma but that’s what I thought as soon as I saw that AWP was coming. Are there canals close by?

 

[Tired Professor]

I remember aqueducts in central California. They pulled cars out of there all the time. I’m not familiar with Selma but that’s what I thought as soon as I saw that AWP was coming. Are there canals close by?

There are smaller ones used to irrigate crops but they are not the size of the aqueducts you might be thinking of. Most would not have enough water to conceal a car.
Many dairies in the area do have lagoons though.

 

[SpeciousPoppy]

why does the family think she's been abducted?

I believe they said they felt she wouldn’t leave on her own

 

[SpeciousPoppy]

Does anyone know where the information that she turned left/west onto Nebraska came from?

 

[MimosaMornings]

Deputies have followed up on many leads and tips from New Mexico to Fresno County.

Annalists have also been digging into her social media accounts as they say a 22-year-old with no digital data is extremely rare.

As of now, no criminal activity is suspected but due to the length of time she has been missing, they are treating this as a criminal matter.

So far officials have been met with dead ends and have found nothing during the searches.

Detectives will continue their efforts on her social media to try and narrow the search.

Selma police provide update on missing Selma woman

KMPH Fox 26 is the Central Valley's news leader, covering Fresno, California and the surrounding area, including Clovis, Madera, Hanford, Visalia, Biola, Kerman, Tranquillity, San Joaquin, Reedley, Coalinga, Avenal, Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Caruthers, Tollhouse, Three Rivers, Porterville, and Merced.

kmph.com

Social media accounts? Wonder what other accounts other than Facebook.
Didn’t think the younger crowd was into FB as much as other social media.

The circumstances of the evening are concerning, waking up her grandmother at 3am for cash and a bag (mine would thrown something at me and immediately called my mom to ask what the heck was going on), calling her sister twice in the early morning hours and going to sit in the orchards at 4am(?) after being at a party until 2-3am.
I don’t know what was going on that evening. Did something happen at the party? Anything from her friends at the party?

 

[Teche]

Does she have a significant other?

 

[Knox]

Does anyone know where the information that she turned left/west onto Nebraska came from?

If you read back it's posted in the media stories. Video from AM/PM, per LE and family.

 

[JnRyan]

Does anyone know where the information that she turned left/west onto Nebraska came from?

About 0:45 into video. I was confused by it as well until I found out which AMPM she went to. (Nebraska Ave at Highland Ave.)

 

[JnRyan]

About 0:45 into video. I was confused by it as well until I found out which AMPM she went to. (Nebraska Ave at Highland Ave.)

There is also a 21 minute Gray Hughes video on post #41 with more Google Maps detail. Given that GH is prone to drag on and on and on for an hour and half to almost 4 hours, that is as close to a Public Service Announcement as you're going to see from him.

 

[airyberry]

Did everyone notice that video says when she went in the store she bought a cigar? I'm wondering if she smokes cigars, or if she was buying one for someone else?

@kccorona JMO it also looks like she's mad to me - could there be someone in the car with her? I tried to do a crop and filter but I can't see anything with her tinted windows.

(This photo shows the dark tinted windows)
View attachment 360265

I doubt she is smoking the "cigars" they're probably swishers or backwoods and she was likely planning on smoking weed in them. I have never in my life seen anyone use them for anything other than rolling a blunt. She might be high already or she was planning on taking the wraps to smoke by herself or with someone else at a different destination, I personally move a little disjointed when I've smoked so it's plausible. Might just be exhausted, but based on her purchase I am leaning toward she was probably going for a smoke sesh.

 

[airyberry]

Based on all the info given, I've made a map of the potential route she could have taken to the place where her phone last pinged. Left on E Nebraska, potentially through a significant location, through Sanger and up toward the locations her phone last pinged. Obviously this is just an estimate, but she came home at 3 am to grab cash and her purse after leaving a party. At 4 am she calls her sister. She then gets blunts and by 4:06 am she is turning left on E Nebraska. It takes about 1 hour 10 mins to get to the area where her cell last pinged towers, if she took that route or a similar one, she would reach her last known location at about 5:20 am. She called her sister twice at 5:30 AM. She could have stopped somewhere for 10 mins like a memorial then continued or been at her destination for 10 mins before needing something happening. She also may have been 10 mins away from the marked destination and then something happened and called immediately. She was probably going to smoke up in the mountains, so maybe she also picked someone up along the way that lives in that direction first. Either way, I just wanted to make a map because she turned in the direction opposite of where she was heading so I was wondering why.

 

[Beekarina]

Maybe she had car trouble?

That seems a plausible reason to contact a sister at that hour. Someone who might be awake, or at least probably the least annoyed at coming to pick you up an hour away if you had a break down? (The initial call could have been to let someone know she was heading out?)

Then if her sister did not answer, someone else may have noticed and offered assistance?

 

[Bsc87bsc]

Does anyone know where the information that she turned left/west onto Nebraska came from?

The video from the gas station

 

[Bsc87bsc]

Maybe she had car trouble?

That seems a plausible reason to contact a sister at that hour. Someone who might be awake, or at least probably the least annoyed at coming to pick you up an hour away if you had a break down? (The initial call could have been to let someone know she was heading out?)

Then if her sister did not answer, someone else may have noticed and offered assistance?

I’m pretty sure I read her sister was in LA at the time

 

[Biggles]

On the one hand, it's reassuring to see more info about her movements that night. On the other hand it becomes a much more complicated search if she's not to be found west of Selma but rather up in the foothills east of Fresno. Because the area around Selma (between I99 and I5) is largely fields... it's very flat, there's almost no standing water at this time of year (the 'lakes' and ponds and lagoons are largely dry unless some dairy or farm wants to keep one filled), so if her vehicle was there it should have been seen by now, either by an air search or by farm/fieldworkers.

But once she's up near lakes and campgrounds, that's a different story. Tree cover and vegetation are totally different, and there's quite a bit more change in elevation, providing many places for a vehicle to leave a road and just disappear down a hilldside. Anyone remember the Angela Hernandez incident from just over 3 years ago? She vanished while driving along Pacific Coast Highway, but was found alive seven days later. Here's hoping that Jolissa had a similar accident but has managed to stay alive and is just waiting for rescuers to find her.

 

[Beekarina]

I’m pretty sure I read her sister was in LA at the time

That is concerning, if she was in LA.

I'm leaning towards Jolissa was upset and needed someone to talk with then, based on the number of calls.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Been following this case a bit since I used to have to travel in that area. It's all ag if you go west from Selma as she did - walnuts, almonds, grapes, poultry, dairy, and the facilities to pack it and ship it. But this article says something about Avocado Lake. I'm not familiar with it but it looks to be northeast of Selma, so (assuming I looked up the right lake) she would have had to turn around at some point...

for some reason, avocado lake seems to have a lot of drownings. (grew up in central valley)