Kim Sly knew Bryce Laspisa well. So when he called her that night in 2013 to end the relationship, telling her “you’re better off without me”, something didn’t add up. She informed the young man’s mother that she didn’t believe he was in any condition to drive back to Sierra College, where he was studying. No one imagined it would be the last time anyone spoke with him with certainty.
Bryce, 19, from Laguna Niguel, California, drove for hours that early morning. He stopped in Buttonwillow, Kern County, where he ran out of fuel. A traffic officer assisted him and, seeing no reason for alarm, let him continue on his way. It was the last confirmed human contact before everything went dark. His Toyota Highlander was found overturned at the foot of a five-meter embankment near Castaic Lake, north of Los Angeles. The rear windshield was shattered. His wallet, phone, and computer were left inside. He was nowhere to be found. Helicopters and search teams combed the area without finding a single clue. More than a decade later, the California Prosecutor’s Office is still searching for him: Bryce Laspisa officially remains listed as missing.
