New year begins with missing people still not located

As we begin 2021, five people, who went missing last year, have not been located. As the holidays were upon us, the Town Crier spoke to the families of the missing people to get their stories.

Roy Prifogle was the first to go missing in March of last year. Prifogle’s daughter, Kendra Johnson, told the newspaper with tears in her eyes during an interview late last year about the struggle of her dad still missing, “through time and trying to come to terms with it because it’s been so long, it’s gotten easier. COVID-19 hit within a couple of weeks of him going missing and it was at the worst time. It was hard when I went back to school after not finding him because we were all isolated. I didn’t have my friends around to support me. I have a good support system though.”

Melissa Lane was last seen in June. They say time heals, but for the families of these missing people, time seems to be the enemy. The longer their loved ones are missing, the less hope there is finding them alive. More and more questions arise, leaving people like Lane’s mother, Kathy Lamont, wondering what happened to her daughter.

Melissa Lane was last seen in June. They say time heals, but for the families of these missing people, time seems to be the enemy. The longer their loved ones are missing, the less hope there is finding them alive. More and more questions arise, leaving people like Lane’s mother, Kathy Lamont, wondering what happened to her daughter.

Lamont expressed her frustration about the lack of communication from law enforcement.

“If I had to give an A to F on communication, I would give a F for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD),” Lamont told the newspaper.

“They don’t have to give any evidence to the public, but it would be nice for them to communicate a little bit to show they care about the Idyllwild situation and the people because if there is a perpetrator, they’re still out there.”

Rosario Garcia was last seen in July and her family has done everything to try to find her. They’ve had to endure birthdays and holidays without Garcia, which has been almost unbearable.

Garcia‘s family expressed how grateful they are to the communities and volunteers that have continued to support and help search for Garcia whose car was found unoccupied in Pinyon Pines not long after she went missing.

Maggie Zavala, Garcia’s daughter, said in an interview on Nov. 29, “It’s been devastating with the holidays and birthdays. This was our first Thanksgiving without her. One of her grandkids couldn’t even be there because it was too hard.” Zavala added, “I’ve already prepared myself emotionally and physically that I don’t think she’s with us anymore. I have to be realistic. I just want to bring her home.”

The most recent woman to go missing from the Hemet/San Jacinto area is 27-year-old Diana Perez Gonzalez, who was reported missing on Dec. 11. According to family, Gonzalez visited the Idyllwild area regularly.

Christy Rojas, Gonzalez’s sister, and her family are struggling with her sister missing.

Rojas said, “We’ve been terribly sad. We think about her every day and have dreams of her, waiting for any sign or a miracle because we miss her and love her a lot. But the most important, her baby needs her. We can see the sadness in her eyes. Although she can’t speak, we know she misses her mom.”

The only family the newspaper has not been able to contact is the family of Lydia “Dia” Abrams, who was reported missing last summer.

Five people remain missing

Eight people have gone missing in the area since March of last year and five remain missing. RCSD media information bureau responded with the following regarding the status of Lydia “Dia” Abrams, Roy Prifogle, Diana Perez Gonzalez, Melissa Lane and Rosario Garcia: “As far as our missing persons, we do not have any update on their cases at this time.”

The newspaper has been asking for updates weekly since early summer.
On Sept. 10, a RCSD SUV was spotted hauling an off-road vehicle near Highway 243 and Saunders Meadow Road.

According to Hemet Sheriff Station Capt. Leonard Purvis, “They were conducting follow-up searches for Melissa Lane.”

While it was unclear exactly where on the mountain deputies were searching for Lane, Purvis also confirmed that the search didn’t provide any further information or evidence of where Lane may have gone missing.
Lane, 41, was last seen June 15, according to a poster that was displayed in the Mountain Center area. The Town Crier spoke to Kathy Lamont, Lane’s mother, right after she was reported missing.

“She was an avid hiker but didn’t have a destination,” Lamont said. “She was last seen in Pine Cove. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive.”

Garcia was last seen July 7 wearing a brown shirt and blue jeans in Hemet. Garcia is a 73-year-old Hispanic female and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. She is 5’ 3” tall and 120 pounds.

Palm Desert deputies from the RCSD were dispatched to the area of 70000 East Highway 74 in Pinyon Pines at 11:46 a.m. July 9 after Garcia’s vehicle was found unoccupied. Garcia was not located after a search of the area was conducted.

Earlier in the year, Prifogle was reported missing after going on a hike in the Pine Cove area Wednesday, March 4. He left home at about 1 p.m. and was last seen at the Pine Cove Market at 6:30 p.m. on the same day. He was last seen wearing a red backpack and jeans.

RCSD Deputy Jeremy Parsons said, “After six full days of searching in between inclement weather, searching 8 to 10 hours per day, Prifogle has not been located. The Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit (RMRU), as well as search and rescue volunteers from San Bernardino County, Orange County and San Diego County, were assisting. In total, about 150 people have been searching during those six days.” Also adding, “On the second or third day of the search, we found his backpack, but have found no other clues as to his whereabouts.”

On Sunday, June 7 at approximately 8:24 a.m., Hemet Station deputies were dispatched to the 58000 block of Bonita Vista in reference to a missing person. Abrams was placed into the system as a missing person.

Abrams is 65 years old, 5’ 5” tall, 130 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and turquoise jacket, yellow shirt and blue jeans.

According to RMRU, their team of volunteers was dispatched to Abrams’ 160-acre ranch in the Apple Canyon area (between Mountain Center and Garner Valley) June 9. They conducted a search from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no success of finding Abrams.

RMRU went out again June 10 to search more difficult areas on the property including a creek bed and the hills overlooking her ranch. All assignments were completed by 6 p.m. At that point, detectives took over the investigation and called off the physical ground search.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Roy Prifogle, Dia Abrams, Rosario Garcia, Diana Perez Gonzalez or Melissa Lane, contact the RCSD at 800-950-2444.