Calif. woman vanishes on cross-country road trip, abandoned car found

A search is ongoing for a California woman who went missing under mysterious circumstances while embarking on a cross-country road trip from San Diego to Connecticut, authorities say. The last confirmed sighting of Chelsea Grimm, 32, was on Sept. 28 in Williams, Arizona, though investigators believe she was also with her vehicle on nearby Forest Service Road 6 two days later.  

On Oct. 4, Chelsea’s parents reported her missing to Phoenix police. The following day, hunters reported a “suspicious” vehicle abandoned on the service road that was later confirmed to be Grimm’s white 2019 Ford Escape. NewsNation reports that the car was found with two flat tires and that Grimm’s phone, wallet, clothing and sleeping bag were not in the car.

Body camera footage shared by Williams police with local news station KPHO-TV shows an officer talking with Grimm in her car at a cemetery on Sept. 28. The officer can be seen approaching Grimm, who appears upset.

“You doing alright?” the officer asks. “Yeah, I just was doing a photo shoot of the lost soldiers and got a little emotional, so I was crying before I got back on the road,” Grimm responds.

The officer then advises that Grimm sleep in her car at a local truck stop called Loves after she said she was considering camping that night. The outlet also reported that a woodcutter saw Grimm at nearby Ash Fork, Arizona, on Sept. 30. 

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has shared selfies taken by Grimm on her trip, as well as a photo of her pet bearded dragon, Roz or Roxy.

In an interview with NewsNation, Grimm’s parents, Stephen and Janet Grimm, said Chelsea’s pet may help someone find her. 

“If they see somebody with a bearded dragon, they’re going to take an extra look at that person,” Janet Grimm said. “Because it’s unusual to be carrying around a bearded dragon, usually on her shoulder.” 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523.