Courtney Perrone, 41, who was charged in an attempted kidnapping in Santa Monica in 2024, has vanished and is now officially listed as a missing at-risk person. Her family says she walked away from a location near Exposition Park on the night of May 17 and never came back. Investigators later found her white 2014 BMW abandoned and stripped near Pearblossom Highway in Littlerock. Relatives and police say the circumstances are troubling, and authorities are asking the public to help find her.
Last Seen Near USC, Car Later Found Stripped in Littlerock
According to NBC Los Angeles, Perrone was last seen near Exposition Park, close to the USC campus, at about 10:30 p.m. on May 17. She left the area driving a white 2014 BMW and has not been heard from since. The Los Angeles Police Department described her as about 5-foot-4 and 105 pounds, with black hair, hazel eyes, and several distinctive tattoos, and said the circumstances of her disappearance place her at risk. Police say the BMW was later located abandoned and stripped near Highway 138 in Littlerock and was impounded by the California Highway Patrol.
How Perrone Was Tied to a 2024 Child Abduction Case
Santa Monica police say Perrone was arrested on Aug. 21, 2024, after an alleged attempt to abduct an 8-year-old child in an alley south of Maple Street. Officers say she identified herself as a Russian police officer and put her arms around the child before a neighbor intervened. The department's press release states that the neighbor placed the child in his vehicle, and that Perrone then pulled out a switchblade when confronted. Officers later found her standing next to a white BMW in a nearby Gelson's parking lot. She was booked on felony counts that included attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment, along with a misdemeanor brandishing charge, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Case Status and Earlier Coverage
local coverage of Perrone's arrest in August 2024 reported on the initial charges, and later reporting indicated the criminal case was placed on diversion in February 2025. NBC Los Angeles notes that Perrone remains scheduled to appear at a status conference on Feb. 19, 2027. The sequence, with an arrest in 2024, diversion in 2025 and a 2027 court date, is part of why authorities say locating her matters for both public safety and the progress of the case.
Police Release Identifying Details and Tips Line
The LAPD and Perrone's family have circulated additional identifying details and alternate names in an effort to bring her home, according to MyNewsLA. Investigators say she may also go by the names Sabrina Perrone or Serpina Morrison. Her tattoos include a scorpion on her left forearm and the words "Comfortably Numb" on her arm. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800 or, after hours, 877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
What Diversion Means
Pretrial diversion programs give some defendants a chance to receive treatment or services instead of moving straight through traditional prosecution, but the underlying charges remain while a case is active in court. As outlined by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, diversion initiatives route eligible defendants into supervision and services with specific conditions that have to be met for successful completion.
Family Worried as Search Drags On
Family members say their concern grows with every day that passes without a call or sighting, and police have urged anyone who encounters Perrone to contact investigators rather than approach her directly. Authorities in Santa Monica and at the LAPD continue to coordinate while they track down leads from the community and wait for the tip that might finally break the case open.
