A 17-year-old from the tiny Mendocino County town of Philo has been missing since January 2, and the only concrete clue to her whereabouts came the same day from more than 100 miles away in San Francisco.
Sara Gene Keene was last seen that morning leaving her foster parents' home in Philo. Family members say her cellphone was switched off not long after she left, and they have not been able to contact her since.
According to SFGATE, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said Keene’s white 2013 Acura TSX, with California license plate 9UYY222, was picked up by automatic license plate readers in San Francisco on January 2. Deputies said she left the foster home at about 11 a.m.
Keene is described as 4 feet 11 inches tall and about 115 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants and black tennis shoes, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which also lists an NCIC reference number for law enforcement.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has issued a regional "be on the lookout" alert to law enforcement agencies in San Francisco and across the Bay Area. Deputies say they have been working with the San Francisco Police Department, which on January 9 checked a possible address for a friend of Keene’s but did not find Keene, her friend or the Acura, according to SFGATE. Mendocino officials said Keene had told a foster parent she wanted to visit a friend in San Francisco, and that the foster parent told her not to go.
How to Help
Anyone with information on Sara Gene Keene’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office tip line at (707) 463-4086 or use the department’s online contact form through the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Tips can also be submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, where Keene’s case reference number is 2073520.
