AZ AZ - Chelsea Grimm, 32, traveling from San Diego CA to CT, car found Oct 5 on Forest Rd 6 near Williams, she was last seen in Williams, 28 Sep 2023

[JerseyWasHome2]

the info in here is old-and whatever "new" info the PI found- it was never made public. I think it is weird that she is out of contact with everyone. parents had said that she was more likely to "over share" than to not communicate. She just does not come across as in the real world to wander off without food/water/etc. Was there actually cell service where her car was found? And for locals- what kind of wood cutting goes on in AZ? "woodcutter" sounds like an old fairy tale character. I have seen logging on the east coast, north and south and it is pretty mechanized, noisy, involves lots of heavy equipment and large trucks.

I totally agree with you! Since she was in touch with her parents up until her last day of contact, it seems strange she’d been meaning to cut them out of her life if she was afraid of someone. Her parents are not poor and would be able to help her, I’m sure, if she moved back with them, provide her with protection.

I think the PI Steve said cell phone access for him was spotty but we don’t know what provider she had, and it must vary.

Do people randomly head out into that area and cut down trees for firewood for their homes? It seemed rather desolate from the videos shared. A logger or firewood cutter would seem to want to harvest from what I’d call a wooded area, not a desert with random trees in the area her car was found. But maybe that’s what they do there. If it’s public land maybe it’s allowed? Maybe these are locals who just seek out a tree here and there?

it’s very strange as someone asked Steve Fischer weeks ago why they hadn’t searched directly north of her car as well and he said it was private property with a fence. ??? I looked at satellite maps and didn’t see any fence, anywhere. That whole area just seems so open and desolate to me.

 

[SophieRose]

the info in here is old-and whatever "new" info the PI found- it was never made public. I think it is weird that she is out of contact with everyone. parents had said that she was more likely to "over share" than to not communicate. She just does not come across as in the real world to wander off without food/water/etc. Was there actually cell service where her car was found? And for locals- what kind of wood cutting goes on in AZ? "woodcutter" sounds like an old fairy tale character. I have seen logging on the east coast, north and south and it is pretty mechanized, noisy, involves lots of heavy equipment and large trucks. hear of people cutting wood for their own use or to sell in the Sierra, need a permit.

I hear of people cutting wood in the Sierra, for their own use or to sell, need a permit.

Here's what it says about the Coconino National Forest.

Coconino National Forest - Forest Products Permits

Coconino National Forest - Forest Products Permits

www.fs.usda.gov

The Coconino provides firewood for personal use both on a free-use permit and a paid permit basis. In either case, a permit must be acquired by anyone harvesting any firewood on the National Forest, except for the rather small amounts used in a campfire and gathered at the campfire site.

Cutting season occurs from mid-April to mid-December.

 

[0ryX]

I am hoping for the best for Chelsea and really want to believe that she is just going on some self discovery journey but some things are just not adding up to me. As someone who used to travel (Freight train and hitch hiking) I find it odd that she would abandon her car and not leave a note if planning to return when I made enough money to pay and get the tires replaced. Chelsea is also 32 which would leave me to believe that she would be responsible enough to do such a thing.

She mentioned in the police body cam footage that she was also planning on camping in her car for the night and its possible that sleeping in the car would get pretty uncomfortable after a couple nights and moving out to sleep under the stars somewhere and have a camp fire would seem pretty appealing.

There are a couple simple questions to answer the severity of the situation I think would be a good starting place for LE if anyone is in connection with, they are:
- Has there been any recent purchases made to her accounts, banking / credit?
- Has her cell phone been pinged or turned on recently as well as social media been logged into?
- And was there any evidence found for the cause of her dual blowout?

<modsnip - not an approved source>

If her phone is not been turned on as the PI also mentions that there where dozens of text messages before going "dark" then why hasn't she turned it back on? Or her accounts being used? then the two worst case possibilities I pray are not the case are accident while camping meaning shes in the area close to her abandon vehicle or shes been picked up and not in a good way. PI puts in a exhausting 9 days and pulls very useful information thats not being made public from what I'm seeing but at the same time is giving a sense of being dismissive and believes Chelsea is ok and going off grid by choice. But the severity of the situation is that we have a missing person that needs to be located regardless of those beliefs.

This is my first post here on websleuths, sorry for the long winded post I wont always make them a book for us to navigate, apologys

 

[charminglane]

I wonder if Chelsea was feeling deeply about the children in the missing posters she took a photo of? Maybe this is a subject she feels strongly about? Or veterans?
Perhaps doing undercover work of her own?
To me she seems very fragile and disorganized.

 

[0ryX]

I still don't think it fair to assume a dismissive thought Chelsea may or may not have been feeling and lightens the weight of severity and portrays anything less then a sense of urgency, especially with respect to how the family must be feeling.

 

[OddOneOut]

I'd like to see a map showing the roads, where her car was found, and where her boots and shirt were found. That would indicate in what direction she was headed after leaving her car.

 

[azure]

I think that it's sadly relatively common for someone experiencing mental health struggles to seek out a wilderness area and then wander off and succumb to the elements. I think there is a 99.9% chance that's what happened in this case.

We can tell Chelsea wasn't in her right mind from her attempt to use Euros as US currency, her strange interaction with the police officer, and her meandering trip through AZ when she had an event to make on the east coast. I'd argue that the simple decision to drive cross country because of a lizard was a choice made by someone experiencing confusion. I love my animals and I know that traveling with them unnecessarily causes them immense stress, certainly enough to kill a lizard.

I think the only difference between this case and others is that her parents only release the vaguest details of her past MH struggles and seem to want to push the investigation in another direction. Sadly, I think she's within a few days walk of her car, and the PI is unlikely to turn anything up unless he recruits experienced wilderness searchers. Just my opinion after almost 20 years on this board.

 

[azure]

Jumping off my last post, here are several cases of women who drove into the wilderness and abandoned their vehicles on foot:

Miriam Salgado was "experiencing health issues" and sleeping in her car before the car was found broken down in a remote area with no sign of her. 2 years later she was found 1/2 mile from the car. LE did not find the death suspicious.

Human remains found in southern Utah identified as aunt of Elizabeth Salgado

Human remains that were located by a hiker in southern Utah over the weekend have been identified as those of Miriam Salgado, who was reported missing in 2021.

ksltv.com

Gwen Brunelle, who took medicine for "mental conditions", was supposed to be outside Fresno at a rabbit show when she disappeared in the Oregon desert with 11 rabbits. LE suspect she is near the remote area where her Honda Element was found abandoned.

Huge search fails to turn up woman last seen in Eastern Oregon

Mysterious disappearance of woman in Oregon leaves family with questions, no answers.

www.oregonlive.com

Jeannie Schweigert drove from Billings to Hot Springs, SD, abandoned her vehicle on private property and took off on foot. Miraculously, she was found alive 10 days later, dehydrated and sunburnt and lying next to a water pump. She said she had no memory of the last 10 days.

Billings woman missing for 10 days in South Dakota found safe

A Billings woman missing since July 17 in South Dakota was found safe on a ranch near Hot Springs with little memory of what happened, according to law enforcement and family.

www.ktvq.com

Breanna Mitchell drove her car 5 miles down a single track road in the WY badlands until it became stuck. She walked away from her vehicle barefoot and has never been found.

Found Deceased - WY - Breanna Mitchell, 28, barefoot, got stuck near Nowater Trail, SAR located vehicle, Worland, 22 Jul 2023

Breanna Mitchell was last contacted Saturday after her vehicle got stuck along rugged terrain near Nowater Trail close by the Worland Airport, the Washakie County Sheriff's Office and Worland Police Department said in joint statements on Facebook. "We are treating this as more than just a...

www.websleuths.com

I could go on but I'm on mobile and this is getting long. Three of these cases are from 2023 alone. The common thread is that inexplicably, people experiencing distress have a tendency to take off to remote areas with their cars, abandon the cars and begin to walk. Some are found deceased, some are never found, and in some miraculous cases, they are found alive but confused. Foul play is vanishingly rare.

 

[0ryX]

I'd like to see a map showing the roads, where her car was found, and where her boots and shirt were found. That would indicate in what direction she was headed after leaving her car.

Here is a Map of the Service Road 6 I grabbed from page 1 of this thread, although we do not know the coordinates of exactly where her car was found the area and the length of the road is not very long

 

[iamshadow21]

Jumping off my last post, here are several cases of women who drove into the wilderness and abandoned their vehicles on foot:

Miriam Salgado was "experiencing health issues" and sleeping in her car before the car was found broken down in a remote area with no sign of her. 2 years later she was found 1/2 mile from the car. LE did not find the death suspicious.

Human remains found in southern Utah identified as aunt of Elizabeth Salgado

Human remains that were located by a hiker in southern Utah over the weekend have been identified as those of Miriam Salgado, who was reported missing in 2021.

ksltv.com

Gwen Brunelle, who took medicine for "mental conditions", was supposed to be outside Fresno at a rabbit show when she disappeared in the Oregon desert with 11 rabbits. LE suspect she is near the remote area where her Honda Element was found abandoned.

Huge search fails to turn up woman last seen in Eastern Oregon

Mysterious disappearance of woman in Oregon leaves family with questions, no answers.

www.oregonlive.com

Jeannie Schweigert drove from Billings to Hot Springs, SD, abandoned her vehicle on private property and took off on foot. Miraculously, she was found alive 10 days later, dehydrated and sunburnt and lying next to a water pump. She said she had no memory of the last 10 days.

Billings woman missing for 10 days in South Dakota found safe

A Billings woman missing since July 17 in South Dakota was found safe on a ranch near Hot Springs with little memory of what happened, according to law enforcement and family.

www.ktvq.com

Breanna Mitchell drove her car 5 miles down a single track road in the WY badlands until it became stuck. She walked away from her vehicle barefoot and has never been found.

Found Deceased - WY - Breanna Mitchell, 28, barefoot, got stuck near Nowater Trail, SAR located vehicle, Worland, 22 Jul 2023

Breanna Mitchell was last contacted Saturday after her vehicle got stuck along rugged terrain near Nowater Trail close by the Worland Airport, the Washakie County Sheriff's Office and Worland Police Department said in joint statements on Facebook. "We are treating this as more than just a...

www.websleuths.com

I could go on but I'm on mobile and this is getting long. Three of these cases are from 2023 alone. The common thread is that inexplicably, people experiencing distress have a tendency to take off to remote areas with their cars, abandon the cars and begin to walk. Some are found deceased, some are never found, and in some miraculous cases, they are found alive but confused. Foul play is vanishingly rare.

Caitlyn Case is an odd one that I'd loop in, that one possibly does have foul play involved. Very strange.

Found Deceased - OK - Caitlyn Rose Case, 33, Traveling from Louisiana to Colorado, vehicle abandoned in Fort Towson, 5 Aug 2022

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is helping search for a woman whose vehicle was found abandoned in Fort Towson, Oklahoma. The OSBI said Caitlyn Rose Case, 33, was last heard from by family members on August 5, 2022, as she was on her way from Louisiana to Colorado. Authorities said...

www.websleuths.com

MOO

 

[acutename]

Jumping off my last post, here are several cases of women who drove into the wilderness and abandoned their vehicles on foot:

Miriam Salgado was "experiencing health issues" and sleeping in her car before the car was found broken down in a remote area with no sign of her. 2 years later she was found 1/2 mile from the car. LE did not find the death suspicious.

Human remains found in southern Utah identified as aunt of Elizabeth Salgado

Human remains that were located by a hiker in southern Utah over the weekend have been identified as those of Miriam Salgado, who was reported missing in 2021.

ksltv.com

Gwen Brunelle, who took medicine for "mental conditions", was supposed to be outside Fresno at a rabbit show when she disappeared in the Oregon desert with 11 rabbits. LE suspect she is near the remote area where her Honda Element was found abandoned.

Huge search fails to turn up woman last seen in Eastern Oregon

Mysterious disappearance of woman in Oregon leaves family with questions, no answers.

www.oregonlive.com

Jeannie Schweigert drove from Billings to Hot Springs, SD, abandoned her vehicle on private property and took off on foot. Miraculously, she was found alive 10 days later, dehydrated and sunburnt and lying next to a water pump. She said she had no memory of the last 10 days.

Billings woman missing for 10 days in South Dakota found safe

A Billings woman missing since July 17 in South Dakota was found safe on a ranch near Hot Springs with little memory of what happened, according to law enforcement and family.

www.ktvq.com

Breanna Mitchell drove her car 5 miles down a single track road in the WY badlands until it became stuck. She walked away from her vehicle barefoot and has never been found.

Found Deceased - WY - Breanna Mitchell, 28, barefoot, got stuck near Nowater Trail, SAR located vehicle, Worland, 22 Jul 2023

Breanna Mitchell was last contacted Saturday after her vehicle got stuck along rugged terrain near Nowater Trail close by the Worland Airport, the Washakie County Sheriff's Office and Worland Police Department said in joint statements on Facebook. "We are treating this as more than just a...

www.websleuths.com

I could go on but I'm on mobile and this is getting long. Three of these cases are from 2023 alone. The common thread is that inexplicably, people experiencing distress have a tendency to take off to remote areas with their cars, abandon the cars and begin to walk. Some are found deceased, some are never found, and in some miraculous cases, they are found alive but confused. Foul play is vanishingly rare.

reminds me of animals when they are hurting ... still this is odd because CG supposedly seemed fine to her friend in Phoenix...unless meeting up just convinced her more that she wanted to go out by herself. Did LE use a tracking dog?

 

[BaffleMe]

reminds me of animals when they are hurting ... still this is odd because CG supposedly seemed fine to her friend in Phoenix...unless meeting up just convinced her more that she wanted to go out by herself. Did LE use a tracking dog?

Does LE know who this friend is? Have they spoken to him/her?

 

[azure]

Caitlyn Case is an odd one that I'd loop in, that one possibly does have foul play involved. Very strange.

Found Deceased - OK - Caitlyn Rose Case, 33, Traveling from Louisiana to Colorado, vehicle abandoned in Fort Towson, 5 Aug 2022

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is helping search for a woman whose vehicle was found abandoned in Fort Towson, Oklahoma. The OSBI said Caitlyn Rose Case, 33, was last heard from by family members on August 5, 2022, as she was on her way from Louisiana to Colorado. Authorities said...

www.websleuths.com

MOO

I did leave that one out because it's unclear whether she abandoned her own car, but it follows the same pattern of confusion (calling her dad for directions multiple times), a meandering car trip and the car found in a fairly remote area.

 

[BaffleMe]

I did leave that one out because it's unclear whether she abandoned her own car, but it follows the same pattern of confusion (calling her dad for directions multiple times), a meandering car trip and the car found in a fairly remote area.

I had not heard she called her father for directions multiiple times. That sounds like she is very dependent on her parents. MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

I had not heard she called her father for directions multiiple times. That sounds like she is very dependent on her parents. MOO

We're talking about Caitlyn, not Chelsea, sorry for the confusion.

MOO

 

[acutename]

Does LE know who this friend is? Have they spoken to him/her?

In the video with Brian Entin, (#318 above) the parents state they spoke to the friend.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

The desert is unforgiving. The two cases coming to my mind are Macin Smith (UT) and Daniel Robinson (also AZ). Even when you know which area in the desert to start searching, it's very difficult to find a victim.
Hopefully she is voluntarily missing, though.

 

[10ofRods]

I totally agree with you! Since she was in touch with her parents up until her last day of contact, it seems strange she’d been meaning to cut them out of her life if she was afraid of someone. Her parents are not poor and would be able to help her, I’m sure, if she moved back with them, provide her with protection.

I think the PI Steve said cell phone access for him was spotty but we don’t know what provider she had, and it must vary.

Do people randomly head out into that area and cut down trees for firewood for their homes? It seemed rather desolate from the videos shared. A logger or firewood cutter would seem to want to harvest from what I’d call a wooded area, not a desert with random trees in the area her car was found. But maybe that’s what they do there. If it’s public land maybe it’s allowed? Maybe these are locals who just seek out a tree here and there?

it’s very strange as someone asked Steve Fischer weeks ago why they hadn’t searched directly north of her car as well and he said it was private property with a fence. ??? I looked at satellite maps and didn’t see any fence, anywhere. That whole area just seems so open and desolate to me.

The National Forest is a shared resource. We used to go to one near our house to get our Christmas tree. In the case of the area north of Ash Fork, I believe they use the same system as in the NF that we visit. Rangers mark trees for felling and anyone can go and get firewood. There are two people in my neighborhood who run businesses based off selling firewood from our own local NF - and I'm sure it's the same in the greater Grand Canyon area. During some months, they may allow "random" felling of trees, yes.

Pinyon is greatly sought after for smoking fish, meats, chiles.

It's not at all desolate, by Arizona standards. Ash Fork has many, many visitors. It's on route to Grand Canyon. Many people use our national forests daily and it was hunting season. It's not classified as desert, btw. And I can see thousands of trees in the area where she camped. It's true that they're not as densely spaced as forests of New England but yes, that's what we call a forest out here, and not a desert.

People can go up and chop their own firewood, of course, but it's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

Not too far from where Chelsea's campsite was - in the Kaibab Natonal Forest. And here's a different area showing property for sale within the area (there is a large area north of Ash Fork where people have larger parcels of land that look like this and are often fenced:

There are quite a few homes in the area, one would need a detailed map of the NF vs the private plots to figure it out.

 

[10ofRods]

I am hoping for the best for Chelsea and really want to believe that she is just going on some self discovery journey but some things are just not adding up to me. As someone who used to travel (Freight train and hitch hiking) I find it odd that she would abandon her car and not leave a note if planning to return when I made enough money to pay and get the tires replaced. Chelsea is also 32 which would leave me to believe that she would be responsible enough to do such a thing.

She mentioned in the police body cam footage that she was also planning on camping in her car for the night and its possible that sleeping in the car would get pretty uncomfortable after a couple nights and moving out to sleep under the stars somewhere and have a camp fire would seem pretty appealing.

There are a couple simple questions to answer the severity of the situation I think would be a good starting place for LE if anyone is in connection with, they are:
- Has there been any recent purchases made to her accounts, banking / credit?
- Has her cell phone been pinged or turned on recently as well as social media been logged into?
- And was there any evidence found for the cause of her dual blowout?

<modsnip - not an approved source>

If her phone is not been turned on as the PI also mentions that there where dozens of text messages before going "dark" then why hasn't she turned it back on? Or her accounts being used? then the two worst case possibilities I pray are not the case are accident while camping meaning shes in the area close to her abandon vehicle or shes been picked up and not in a good way. PI puts in a exhausting 9 days and pulls very useful information thats not being made public from what I'm seeing but at the same time is giving a sense of being dismissive and believes Chelsea is ok and going off grid by choice. But the severity of the situation is that we have a missing person that needs to be located regardless of those beliefs.

This is my first post here on websleuths, sorry for the long winded post I wont always make them a book for us to navigate, apologys

WELCOME TO WEBSLEUTHS!​

Great first post!

 

[OddOneOut]

Here is a Map of the Service Road 6 I grabbed from page 1 of this thread, although we do not know the coordinates of exactly where her car was found the area and the length of the road is not very long

What I'm interested in is where her belongings were found in relation to the car, road, etc. That could indicate what direction she was headed.