The Search for Pearl Pinson Continues

The search for 15-year-old Pearl Pinson continues Friday with a newly expanded area that includes the Central Coast.

This comes after the Amber Alert abduction suspect Fernando Castro was shot dead in a moving gun battle Thursday in Solvang. (more details on the shooting scene at the bottom of the page)

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office posted the following on their Facebook page:

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this on-going investigation. Detectives are currently going through tips and leads that have come in overnight and are working to best focus our search efforts for today. Once the search plan has been established we will update everyone with the search location and we will be on-scene to provide media updates. Our main focus continues to be finding Pearl and reuniting her with her family.

Our sister station ABC 10 in Sacramento spoke with Pearl’s sister, Rose Pinson, on search efforts. She said family members and friends are organizing a search party at 2 p.m. Friday asking volunteers to show up at the footbridge where Pearl was last seen to continue looking for her and hand out fliers.

Solano County Sheriff’s officials say they have been in constant communication with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department since the kidnapping suspect, 19-year-old Fernando Castro, was killed in a gunfire exchange with deputies at a Solvang mobile home park Thursday afternoon.

Castro’s gold Saturn was first spotted in San Luis Obispo County by California Highway Patrol officers. A chase ensued with Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies joining in the pursuit near Los Alamos. Castro exited southbound U.S. Highway 101 in Buellton.

The pursuit ended when Castro crashed his vehicle in the 100 block of Val Verde in Solvang next to a mobile home park. The suspect fired at deputies as he fled into a mobile home. The home’s owner was inside at the time and managed to run out to safety. Castro then stole a Toyota Tundra pickup truck and tried to flee the scene, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Spokesperson Kelly Hoover.

“The suspect was confronted by deputies and an exchange of gunfire occurred. The vehicle was subsequently approached and the suspect was found dead inside, having received multiple gunshot wounds,” said Hoover.

“As is protocol in any officer-involved shooting, an investigation is underway to account for the shots that were fired and determine if the shooting was within policy,” she added.

No injuries were reported to law enforcement officers or residents during the incident.

Authorities and Pearl’s family confirm that Pearl and Castro were acquaintances but do not know the extent of that relationship at this time. Rose told the Vallejo Times-Herald that she had never met Castro but knew of the acquaintance.

Pearl Pinson was last seen with her hair dyed green. She has green eyes, weighs about 130 pounds, and is 5 feet 3 inches tall. She has a metallic piercing below her left lower lip and was last seen wearing a grey sweater, black leggings. Authorities say she was also carrying a black and turquoise backpack at the time of her abduction.

According to our sister station in the Bay Area, KPIX, the Solano County Sheriff’s Department is coordinating with Sonoma County authorities to search for Pearl near Willow Creek Road in the town of Jenner citing recent evidence discovered in the investigation.

We will continue to follow this story closely and provide continued updates as they become available.

Search and Rescue crews focusing their search for 15-year-old Pearl Pinson in Sonoma County, California.

Gun Battle in Solvang

Residents this morning were gathering to talk about the shooting battle with the abduction suspect that left bullet holes in mobile homes and mail boxes throughout the street side of the Rancho Santa Ynez Estates.

“A helicopter was circling and I heard guns shots and I thought what the heck is going on?” said resident Debra Deyette.

She said a 911 alert message to the area residents and text notices told them to shelter in place and lock their doors.

Carlos Garcia was trying to get video on his phone and gun fire erupted. He said, “they were backing us up, they were screaming at us so we backed up and more shots were fired.” A friend can be heard saying “Dude that was like 20 shots.”

“With all those random shots fired it is just a miracle that no one else was killed they did an incredible job. We’re just so lucky,” said Deyette.

A resident who ran out of her house when the suspect broke in was not around this morning but her front window area had cardboard over it where it apparently had been shattered.

Another resident said a bullet sent through his mail box, and another went through the front of his home into the house. He was not in the room where the shot entered but often reads there.

Other neighbors talked about the shootout through windows and still would not come outside.

Evidence of broken glass, blood and vehicles on the grass in the area of the shooting were present.