Missing
Claudia Mathiew
Mathiew, approximately 1997; Mathiew's kayak
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/09/1997
Missing location (approx) :
Dana Point, California
Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 11/21/1960 (60)
Age at the time of disappearance: 37 years old
Height / Weight : 5'0, 170 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A blue ski vest.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Mathiew may have been wearing eyeglasses with wire frames at the time of her disappearance. Her name may be spelled "Mathieu."
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Mathiew was last seen in Dana Point, California at 7:00 p.m. on December 9, 1997. She is believed to have gone kayaking in Dana Point Harbor on the day after her disappearance, in a gray Pongo kayak with a black seat. A photo of the kayak is posted with this case summary.
The next day, Mathiew's German Shepherd was found muzzled inside a cAge at the time of disappearance: in her vehicle at Doheny State Park. The car was a white Toyota RAV4 SUV with California license plates. Mathiew's loved ones say it is uncharacteristic of her to abandon her dog.
December 9 was a windy day and the water at Dana Point was choppy; Mathiew may have had an accident while kayaking. Foul play is not suspected in her case, which remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Orange County Sheriff's Department
714-647-7000
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
North American Missing Persons Network
Orange County Sheriff's Department
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
October 12, 2004. May 4, 2014; Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: and Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
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