A California law enforcement agency announced on Tuesday that 33-year-old Kelsey Pittman was found alive in Colorado.
The announcement from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office comes over five months after a vehicle registered to Pittman was located west of Death Valley National Park.
The Context
For months, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office coordinated search efforts with multiple law enforcement agencies. While officials said the searches yielded no new physical evidence, Pittman has now been located.
What To Know
Pittman, a North Carolina resident, was reported missing by her mother after she lost contact with her. Pittman’s mother told the sheriff’s office that the last contact anyone had with her daughter was in November 2024, when Pittman had contact with law enforcement in Utah.
Inyo County Sheriff’s Office
On February 9, the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a suspicious vehicle near “The Pads or Slab City,” an area located west of Death Valley National Park. The area just off Highway 190 is commonly used by campers in the winter months.
Deputies confirmed that the abandoned white 2009 Chevrolet HHR was registered to Pittman. The vehicle also had North Carolina license plates.
Drone operators, cadaver dog handlers and volunteer search and rescue crews assisted in the search effort between February and June.
Newsweek reached out to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Earlier this month, the sheriff’s office said Pittman’s mother remained in contact with investigators, provided recent photos and traveled to the area to assist in the search near where the vehicle was found. The mother also told investigators that Pittman may have been using the aliases “Infinity Jane” and “Jane Jones.”
Deputies followed up on multiple leads during the investigation, but her whereabouts remained unknown, the sheriff’s office said in the July 2 press release.
Officials had described Pittman as a Caucasian female who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds, with blond or brownish-blond hair.
What People Are Saying
Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, in a press release: “We thank our ICSO investigative team, along with the many law enforcement partners, search and rescue volunteers, and community members who assisted in this case and helped share information.”
What Happens Next
Officials have not disclosed where in Colorado Pittman was located or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. The sheriff’s office said no further details will be released out of respect for the privacy of Pittman and her family.
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