Recovered/Located CA - Obioma Onuoha, UC Berkeley student, Age UNK, Berkeley, 21 Oct 2020

[siliconda]

Obioma Onuoha, a UC Berkeley student, has been reported as missing. He was least seen on Grizzly Peak this morning (10/21/20 at approx. 2AM). He is described as a Black male, 5'7, 150lbs, possibly wearing athletic clothing.

https://twitter.com/UCPD_Cal/status/1319135097325555717
UCB WarnMe Notification

 

[steff13]

I think this is his FB. It's pretty private, but it lists Berkeley, CA as his residence.

Facebook

 

[siliconda]

From what I can gather his full name is Obioma Noel Onuoha, and he sometimes goes by Obioma Noel.

His LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obioma-thinkfree-thinkglobal/ says he is a current BA student in Advanced Legal Research/Studies and seems to have a Fung Fellowship.

There is a photo of him on the Fung Fellowship site: obioma_noel.jpeg - Fung Fellowship

Based on his HS grad year (2013) I think he's around 25 years old possibly.

There's also even a link to add events to his calendar: You & Obioma -- seems like a super organized and high-achieving person.

 

[siliconda]

I think Grizzly Peak is a mountain immediately east of Cal but also the name of a street (Grizzly Peak Blvd) nearby so it's not clear if he went missing while hiking/driving up to a scenic spot or on the road. The turnouts on the way up to the peak have been taped off recently to prevent wild fires (Popular turnouts on Grizzly Peak blocked with barriers to prevent fires) from 9AM-6PM. Apparently there have also been increased drunk driving, physical + sexual assaults in the Grizzly Peak area recently and an increased police presence (Barriers placed on Grizzly Peak Boulevard turnouts to reduce fire hazard).

 

[Lilibet]

Based on the info in the link below, he was last seen on Grizzly Peak at approximately 2:00 AM in the morning. Grizzly Peak is behind UC Berkeley, as is Grizzly Peak Blvd. It seems strange to be up there in the middle of the night. I wonder if he was there with someone and took off, which would explain being seen at 2:00 a.m. and being reported missing so soon. Was there a vehicle I wonder?

From the link: UCB WarnMe Notification

Oct 22, 2020 04:34:40 UTC
UCB WarnMe
Missing Person - Please note this message may contain information that some may find upsetting.


Please note this message may contain information that some may find upsetting.
Missing Person: UC Berkeley Student Obioma Onuoha
Obioma Onuoha has been reported missing. He is described as a black male, 5'7, 150 lbs, possibly wearing athletic clothing. He was last seen on Grizzly Peak this morning (10/21/20 at approximately 2:00 AM). If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Onuoha please contact UC Berkeley Police Department immediately.

 

[steff13]

The phrasing "on Grizzly Peak" made me think it was the mountain. I googled it, several reviews said it has excellent stargazing. But it poses some questions - who saw him at 2am on a mountain, and under what circumstances did they see him?

 

[siliconda]

The phrasing "on Grizzly Peak" made me think it was the mountain. I googled it, several reviews said it has excellent stargazing. But it poses some questions - who saw him at 2am on a mountain, and under what circumstances did they see him?

From a quick internet search it seems like Grizzly Peak has been the site of multiple attacks initiated by groups of people throughout the years. Definitely doesn't seem like a safe place to be at 2AM and is strange to bump into someone at 2AM... One of the people in the below articles was attacked when he left his group of friends -- maybe Obioma was having a late-night walk with friends but somehow got separated?
2 UC Berkeley Students Attacked At Grizzly Peak Lookout
Man robbed, assaulted near Grizzly Peak in Berkeley
Berkeley hills nighttime sightseer is attacked

Edit: I just took a drive on Grizzly Peak Blvd and the road basically parallels the hiking trail so he could've either been hiking or drove up to park at a turnaround maybe. A lot of them are blocked off but there's still cars parked on the side. Also there was a police car just stationed there keeping a look out (I think for fire works).

 

[siliconda]

Update: He has been located!! UCB WarnMe Notification

 

[steff13]

Safe? It just says located.