Missing
Pearl Pinson
Pearl, approximately 2016; Age when reported missing: 17 (approximately 2017); Fernando Castro; Traffic photos of Castro's car; Pearl Pinson's backpack
Date and time person was reported missing : 05/25/2016
Missing location (approx) :
Vallejo, California
Missing classification : Non-Family Abduction
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 12/15/2000 (20)
Age at the time of disappearance: 15 years old
Height / Weight : 5'3, 130 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A black and white zip-up jacket, a gray sweater or sweatshirt, black leggings or sweatpants, pink, black and white Nike Turfs shoes, and a black Raiders beanie cap. Carrying a black and turquoise backpack with a Joker emblem on it. A photo of the backpack is posted with this case summary.
Medical conditions : Pearl may be in need of medical attention for unspecified reasons.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Light brown hair, blue/green eyes. Pearl's hair was dyed green at the time of her disappearance. The left side of her lower lip is pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Pearl was last seen in Vallejo, California on May 25, 2016. She was walking to the school bus stop, shortly before 7:00 a.m. when a witness saw an armed Hispanic man (later identified as 19-year-old Fernando Castro) dragging her across a pedestrian overpass along Interstate 780 near Taylor Avenue.
Pearl's face was bloody, she was screaming for help, and the witness heard at least one shot. The witness called 911. When the authorities arrived, they found a bloodstain and Pearl's cell phone on the overpass, but there was no sign of Pearl or her abductor.
A photo of Castro is posted below this case summary. He had a minor criminal history, but not for crimes involving stalking or kidnapping, and his family was reportedly "blindsided" when they found out what he had done.
Some reports state that he was an acquaintance of Pearl's, possibly her boyfriend. However, he was not Pearl's boyfriend and she apparently didn't know him at all; investigators could find no evidence of any prior contact between them, either in person or through social media.
Castro was sighted driving his gold four-door 1997 Saturn in the area of the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near the San Rafael Bridge in Marin County, California at 9:30 a.m., two and a half hours after Pearl's abduction. Photos of the car are posted with this case summary. It had the license plate number 5XZD385.
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