Nev. college student missing in Calif.; car found abandoned
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Authorities are trying to locate a Nevada college student who was reported missing after a visit to California.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says 23-year-old Dianne Thacher was reported missing Sunday by her family in Rhode Island, who hadn't heard from her since Oct. 5.
The student from Sierra Nevada College near Lake Tahoe reportedly was in Santa Barbara County to meet friends.
A sheriff's statement says Thacher was seen checking out of her motel room on Oct. 6 and on the same day her vehicle was found with a flat tire on a roadside. It had several parking tickets, reports CBS affiliate WPRI.
Investigators traced Thacher's cellphone to an area several miles north of the car, but the phone hasn't been active since Oct. 6.
Aerial and ground searches have been conducted in both areas.
Police say they do not suspect foul play at this time, though they are considering her disappearance to be suspicious, reports the station.
"It's a terrible thing to go through. I'm just asking if anybody has seen her," her mother Jacquelyn told the station. "Call home. Call anyone to get in contact with us."
Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 805-683-2724, or to leave an anonymous tip, call 805-681-4171.