Authorities searching for missing couple last seen in Cambria
KEYT NewsChannel 3 Senior Reporter John Palminteri first broke the story on Facebook just before 7:30 a.m. Friday…a young Los Angeles couple feared missing and in trouble on the Central Coast.
The last known activity from the couple appears to be the use of one of their credit cards at Cambria General Store and gas station. They had gone on a weekend trip to Big Sur and expected to return for Christmas. They never did.
20-year-old Olivia Hannah Gonzalez and 21-year-old Brian Fernandez were last seen on Dec. 23 according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.
The couple’s families haven’t heard back from them and are on their way to San Luis Obispo County hoping to find any clues that would lead them to the couple’s whereabouts.
Fernandez was driving a 2002 four-door tan Honda Civic with a California license plate number of: 5VUD295.
The couple is also said to be traveling with two large dogs. The exact breed of each dog is unknown.
Gonzalez is described as a Latina woman with blond hair and brown eyes. She’s approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds.
Fernandez is described as a Latino man with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighs 160 pounds.
Anyone with any information regarding the couple’s whereabouts is urged to call Missing Persons Unit Detective Palmer at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours, call 1-877-527-3247.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or visit http://www.lapdonline.org/ and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu.
On Friday, Vanessa Guzman, the older sister of Gonzalez, drove from Southern California to San Luis Obispo County to search for the couple.
“I feel like I am about to break if I go home today and I don’t find my sister. It’s been a week,” Guzman said.
Guzman noted it’s extremely unlike her sister to stop communication.
“She’s never without her phone,” Guzman said. “The most she’s not contacted me is one or two hours sometimes, but not to totally turn off her phone and totally disregard anyone’s calls or messages, so this is definitely out of the ordinary for her.”
Guzman, along her husband, walked Main Street, passing out flyers and speaking to people in town to see if anyone had seen Gonzalez or Fernandez over the past week.
“It’s nerve racking to have to come out here and talk to people in town and see their expressions,” Guzman said.
Before she left Cambria to continue her search in Monterey County, Guzman expressed hope and optimism there was a simple explanation to the situation and she would soon reconnect with her sister.
“I am very hopeful,” said Guzman. “I’m hoping that they’re just two young adults that wanted to be out and off the map a little bit and enjoy the scenery and come home.”
