Authorities in 2 states search for missing woman after bizarre disappearance

LA PAZ COUNTY, Ariz. (3TV/CBS 5/Gray News) — Police in Arizona and California are asking for help as they investigate a missing 27-year-old who vanished at the end of February.

Amanda Nenigar was last seen in Blythe, California, and her car was found abandoned in the rural Arizona desert a week later.

The La Paz County Sheriff shared the bizarre details of how the car was found and where they’re at with the investigation.

It’s a cross-state search that has grown more mysterious by the day as detectives race against time to try and find even a clue as to where 27-year-old Amanda Nenigar may be.

“My personal fear is that it’s going to be a recovery and not a location of a person that’s still alive,” said La Paz County Sheriff William Ponce.

Ponce said their agency became part of the investigation in early March, a week after Nenigar went missing.

According to authorities, Nenigar was last seen in Blythe, California, on Feb. 28. The sheriff said she lives in that area but frequently drives to La Paz County in Arizona, where other family members live.

Her family reported her missing, and a week later, the sheriff said their department got a call that her Toyota Camry had been found by loved ones in the remote desert south of Cibola, about 45 minutes from Blythe.

It’s the way the car was found that the sheriff said is extra bizarre.

“The rear end of the vehicle was on a large boulder,” Ponce said. “When you have a vehicle that’s abandoned and you don’t have kind of inkling where the person has gone or anything, it all seems very odd to us and it’s very concerning.”

He said they had to work backward with Blythe police to try and piece together a timeline.

The sheriff said Nenigar called 911 after getting stuck in a ditch the day before she went missing, Feb. 27, but that ditch was nowhere near where her car ended up.

“We do know that there was a 911 call that went to the El Centro, California Highway Patrol Station around that time frame stating that she was in Anza and in route to the Palm Springs area,” said Ponce. She never made it to Palm Springs.

The sheriff said he personally has been searching on the ground with crews from multiple agencies, tackling efforts from the ground and sky.

Cadaver dogs were brought in this past weekend but didn’t pick up on any scent. The sheriff said he’s worried about the potential Nenigar could be a victim of human trafficking.

“Is it a bigger concern to me right now? Of course it is. Our proximity to the us border, the ruralness as a state, we’re a couple hours from LA, a couple hours from Phoenix, 3-4 hours from Vegas,” Ponce said. “We have no information at all, it’s very mysterious to us. That’s why we’re asking for the public’s help to try to find her or give us any information that may lead us to where she’s at.”

Her family released a statement Monday: “She could still be out there lost. She hasn’t connected to any phones since she called 911. Her family misses her, and if she hears this, do whatever she can to come home.”

Authorities said Nenigar was last seen wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt, black leggings, and black and white tennis shoes. She has a scar on her cheek, and a rose tattooed on her right hand. They also believe she may be wearing a thin bracelet and carrying a pink purse.

If you have any information, please call the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office at 928-669-6141 or the Blythe Police Department at 760-922-6111.

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