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Subscribe to RSSThe father of a 19-year-old University of California, Davis freshman is asking for the public’s help in finding his daughter who walked away from a mental health center in Sacramento 10 days ago.
Courtesy Lomax family
Linnea Lomax, 19, was last seen on June 26, 2012.
Police say Linnea Lomax was last seen at 1 p.m. on June 26, leaving an outpatient therapy center off Howe Avenue in Sacramento.
Craig Lomax said his daughter had lost weight, had a nervous breakdown during finals and was under psychiatric care.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said Lomax is considered missing and at-risk due to her disappearance being "inconsistent with her normal behavior patterns."
She doesn’t have her wallet or cell phone, Craig Lomax said. She had been prescribed medication for anxiety and depression, but she left her drugs behind, vanishing into California’s capital, he said.
“This is as miserable as life gets,” Lomax told msnbc.com on Friday. “We just want her back and we’re not giving up.”
Craig Lomax said his family has been fraught with anxiety and fear, trying to ferret out tips and leads.
He said dozens of volunteers have been out looking for the teen. Volunteers have created a command center near the area she was last seen. They have canvassed a 5-mile radius from near Discovery Park and the surrounding Sacramento River area.
He said volunteers have set up log books and maps trying to find Linnea Lomax.
"We have maps with different strategies, there are pins and strings and all kinds of things that range from her being in the bushes, a pleasant apartment to human trafficking,” he said.
The family has also hired a private investigator to help find Linnea Lomax.
"She's very much at risk," Frank Roman, the family's investigator, told msnbc.com on Thursday. "Her mental health issues make her even more vulnerable."
She graduated from El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., in 2011 and had completed her first year at UC Davis. Her father said she has a 4.0 grade-point average and was studying human development, with plans to pursue a degree in nursing.
“She is a beautiful young woman and worthy of everyone dropping everything to search for her,” said Julie Warren, a family friend.
“We are terribly concerned for Linnea’s safety and for her family,” said Barry Shiller, interim director of communications for UC Davis on Thursday. “It’s heartbreaking and we’re all hoping this ends well.”
Lomax was described as 5-feet-2-inches tall and weighing about 100 pounds. She has long, blond curly hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing green skinny jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt with the word “Sweden” written in red. She wore black flip flops.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department at 916-874-5115, or 916-905-HELP. Online accounts also have been created at Facebook.com/HelpFindLinnea or at HelpFindLinnea.org.
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prayers for the family....
I'm with you but what worries me is she is so petite that she couldn't put up much of a fight to protect herself. Hopefully she is with a friend. Praying for her saftey
“She is a beautiful young woman and worthy of everyone dropping everything to search for her,” thats the exact quote... i agree that putting those two sentences together makes it seem like etmm is pointing... I doubt he meant it that way and it just came out like that.
The media, by and large focus on beautiful young women (and predominantly white) when they "glamorize" a missing person's case....so there are tonnes of folks out there who have missing relatives (that are un-attractive, male, black, hispanics) that get no media attention that feel that the statement was insensitive.
But like any parent, the dad just wants his daughter back at all cost - the last thing on his mind was how he comes off to the media.
Oh, get a grip, Tunde. Yes, the wording of the father's statement was a little odd, but what's wrong with him calling his daughter a beautiful young woman? I'd like to think that all parents consider their children beautiful; I'm sure he wasn't even referring to her physical attractiveness. Why in the world would anybody feel his statement was "insensitive." Quit being so politically correct and looking for insults where none exist.
The dad did not say that. . .it was a family friend.
At any rate, you have a point--the majority of missing person cases who are minority or males don't get the same exposure. However, part of that may have to do with the lack of knowledge about how to access the media.
I pray for the Lomax family--their strength and her safe return. God forbid, if this was my daughter, I search the ends of the earth for her. I'd contact all news outlets--radio, tv, newspaper, internet! I'd sleep at the police station when I wasn't hounding residents for information. You are right; how the world sees me would be so unimportant.
As opposed to the media frenzy over Trayvon?
Chill. Anyone who is a close family friend would mean that the missing woman is a beautiful person predominantly on the inside.
People have become displaced everywhere, even if you were a kind gentlemen and wanted to help this girl, its not your place considering the fear factor that's been placed on society..I'm hoping someone will go out of their way to help..
I wish her speedy and safe return home. I have two young girls of similar ages - I get so worried if they don't call home once everyday. The world is a difficult place, especially for young women. I hope nothing bad happens to her.
Please .. please I hope she is found safely,
Dear Friends:
The perpetrator is one that has known her in school and is acting out as a friend. It could be several individuals involved. Sex the intention on the perpetrators part. The ones who have her the Eyes of March and each minute and second are upon you. Everywhere. She can be reassessed and the courts decide her need for care if and when. Your adding to this creates a tragedy, one that paternal love, long lasting is in conflict with you.
She can still slowly obtain her classes if she so desires and feels up to it. But your interference will destroy all of that. Please bring her home. Report where ever she may be. God knows all your actions.
Flowers are never something that one wants to be delivered at a gravesite, perhaps another way. Let us pray!
If you harm her God help you, you will need it. Buzzards out there!
?
Wow. That's all I have to say...
I kind of see the thinking. She may very well be with friends who don't really have her best interests at heart. She is very pretty, so sex could be a factor. And of course, flowers given to celebrate life are better than those left at the grave. I hope she is found safe soon and her parents and family can have a little peace of mind.
Shar Walker
Before you post why don't you give the drugs time to wear off, or have they already created a permanent problem!
I gotta agree with COmommy, wow...
I understand the confusion with shar walker's post, but I'm guessing English is the poster's second language.
I ran away to Mexico after college and had emotional problems at the time too and my family was worried. I do hope she is just hanging out with friends and gets the help she needs.
She will be found among the homeless population, She'll fumble around with the druggies but some homeless soul will see her and bring her to a safe place. Look for her in the depths of the forgotten, they will guard this child.
ACT QUICKLY! Don't abandon here, the street people have the answer, not the coppers.
?
Oh my goodness, another one...!
Safteypays
Same drugs, same effects, either temporary or permanent stupidity, probably the latter!
Why all the negativity? Saftepays is right. Good people exist within all sectors of society. I read the post as almost a prayer.
Both saftepays and shar walker have valid points. She could be with not the best friends or wandering around the streets. I hope wherever she is she is safe and brought home soon.
You know saftepays and shar walker's comment remind me of? Psychics. I used to watch a show on CourtTV where they used psychics to try and solve crimes. The advice/tips provided by the psychics were a bit strange to say the least but once the case was solved, you could see how the tips fit in with the actual crimes.
Anyway, I just was surprised to see something similar here on the comment boards. O.o
Folks,
I run a private outpatient mental health program and I can tell you that the expertise in these clinics is usually very low. They don't take an adequate history and prescribe medications that can very often make the problem worse. The report says she was prescribed antidepressants which can cause activation and suicidal impulses as well as the anti anxiety medication. If the worst case scenario takes place they will not be held accountable as they are immune from incompetence.
Immune from accountability for incompetence, not from the incompetence itself. I wasn't there, so do not know what happened, but it's quite possible that this woman fled because of the clinic and the treatment she received. The knee jerk reaction is to automatically blame the person who is ill, this is part of the stigma of mental illness, leaving the mental health providers to make up whatever story fits the circumstances and their needs. This is not meant to paint with a broad brush, but it is prevalent.
@William Also what they sometimes fail to tell the person is that the medicine takes some time before it is effective. Also, that not all medicines work for everyone, which is why they have so many different ones. btdt
I hope she is safe and is found. <3
I hope the media in California have her photo plastered everywhere. The more places her photo is seen, the more likely someone will recognize her and report her whereabouts. I hope and pray they find this young lady and my heart goes out to her and her family. I cannot imagine how I would feel right now if this was my daughter.
My optimistic guess is that she'll come strolling back in today or tomorrow sometime. After seeing her picture all over the national news she will decide it's been long enough and will come back home. But... that's probably not the case. You really want to believe that she safe and sound somewhere but the truth of the matter is is she mentally unstable and my pessimist side tells me that she decided to cash in her chips. I know one thing, either way she should not have been in OUT patient therapy. Definitely should have been in inpatient. Someone really dropped the ball here. Underscoring how sick she actually is/was. I feel for the family and wish them the best of luck for her safe return.
Wow. I have never seen such a collection of rubbish, idle speculation, and useless comments on a newspaper article. I sincerely hope that Linnea returns quickly and safe and gets help. The people who work in the out-patient mental health clinics in my state (I grew up in Sacramento, and went to UC Davis, but don't live in California) are wonderful, highly-trained, competent, caring individuals who work under conditions of great stress for relatively low pay. It is a very fine line to walk between helping someone with mental health issues and infringing on a person's civil rights. Miss Lomax is dealing with a brain that is not functioning the way it should, but she obviously is making decisions that seem like the right ones to her at the time. I hoipe she finds peace.
new to the vine?
I am new. I used to transport 5150's to these facilities and to the one on Howe Ave and they are very hard to walk out of security is very tight so I am trying to figure out how she did it. I couldn't just walk out the door once I brought a patient in I had to wait for them to unlock the door for me. I sure hope they find her soon and if friends did come and visited her and snuck her out some how please let her family know you're not being fair to anyone.
Kathy,
Couldn't agree with you more. There are way too many folks who try to analyze a person based on a few words written in a news article. With what is written here, it just sounds like the girl stresses over grades and is pushing herself way too hard and cannot deal with the pressure. I hope the medications have not made her situation worse. Sometimes it takes several changes in medication in order to find the one that works best. I was put on antidepressants when my son died. The first ones they gave me made me completely crazy. After 3 changes in medication, they found the right one. But I could see myself wandering off in a world of confusion while under the first 2 medications. I just hope this young lady is found safe and healthy and they can get her mental health stabilized. I am praying for her and her family and hoping for the best.
I hope they find her alive an well. Stay strong, keep looking.
I hope she hasnt done something stupid. What an incredibly pretty young woman, she has everything to live for. Depression and Stress can make you think the world is ending though, lets hope she hasnt hurt herself. Or some loser done something to her.
The fact she walked away, is at least hopeful. She may just be missing and off somewhere trying to find herself. People do sometimes just run away. Its not as bad as finding her missing, and her car left somewhere with her purse still in it.. So theres hope!
Some of the pseudo-psychics on here are scary people. I hope she is with a friend, resting getting her head together a 4.0 at the university level is a highly stressing feat Especially if she was carrying 15 credits per semester. This kid needs to scale it back and just take a little longer to graduate, or smaller course loads with a year round schedule.
I feel for her dad. He must be in such a frightening place.
I hope she is safe.
The family friend says she is "beautiful" and therefore worth looking for. What a stupid thing to say. I hope they find the poor girl, though.
The "therefore" was your own invention.
Actually, what the friend said was: "She is a beautiful young woman and worthy of everyone dropping everything to search for her." Read it again, and obviously, she wasn't just talking about her physical appearance giving her worth.
“She is a beautiful young woman and worthy of everyone dropping everything to search for her,” thats the exact quote...
I think they were referring to her personality, that she would not normally put her family and friends through this, that she is not just out taking a break but is lost and not able to return on her own because of her fragile mental state.
As a father of daughters myself,it is hard to sympathise w/o getting choked up
needle in a haystack............bummer..... hope just this once we have a follow up story with a happy ending.
of course that would go against the whole "gloom and doom, dirty laundry" that the media trys to pass off as "news" these days.
Most meds have side effects,doctors don' always tell the people they are treating about these side effects. As another poster said sometimes the meds make the problem worse,although I think the article said she left the meds behind.Hope she is found unharmed,and returned to her family.
Pray for a safe return.
Depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorders can be difficult and disorienting. Hopefully she is soon found and in good health.
Do hope this young lady just got away from it all for awhile,and returns safely in a few days.
Another potential tragedy. Having dealt with a Family members Mental Health Crisis, I know how incredibly frightening and helpless you feel.
My loved one escaped a supposed locked facility. I drove up and down desert roads looking for her. Fortunately my In-Laws had picked her up.
I hope this Young Lady is found.
College especially when young people are away from home, is incredibly stressful.
Everybody thinks these Kids are just having fun.
It's Brutal. My own Children had to deal with the stress's involved and it was not easy.
The one thing the Media fails to mention is how incredibly difficult it is, to treat someone who should not be left unattended.
Sadly, a misinformed Public and a Government looking to cut the budget everywhere but where they needed to, came up with, "The Mental Health Patient Bill of Rights Laws.
This in a Nutshell handcuffed Doctors from holding someone against their will with out a Judge signing off.
Among a slew of other procedures that delay help.
It's a long sorry mess.
Unless a person is an obvious threat to themselves or another they cannot be held against their will.
This has allowed people who other wise would of received immediate help to fall through the cracks.
While I cannot speculate on this young lady. I know for sure my loved one would not be alive today if Family was not with her and convinced her to voluntarily commit herself for treatment.
Society just cannot face the depth of Chronic Mental Illness plaguing this Nation.
Yet States and the Federal Government thought they would save millions.
The Politicians need their Heads examined.
I hope all ends well for this Young Lady and her Parents get her the help she needs.
Well said! I was on the receiving end of that intervention and can honestly say that is why I am here today.
Family and friends, never be afraid to intervene if you feel a person is a danger to themselves or others. Let the professionals have a chance to help them.
My sincere wishes that this young girl is found quickly and unharmed.
Depression is a dreadful disorder. Anti-depressants don't work immediately and often times need to be adjusted to find the correct med & dosage for that particular person. Of course there are also those who don't want to/won't take the meds because of the stigma of mental health disorders.
My thoughts are with the family & friends of this girl. I can't imagine what they are going through right now. :(
Thank you for this article about Linnea. She really is a beautiful young woman inside and outside and absolutely precious to many of us. She needs help. Please, if you see her, tell law enforcement or call the hotline listed above. Thank you so much for writing about her!
I pray that she is found and alright. I find it ironic that my parents are traveling to UCDAVIS from Iowa to attend a memorial service for my brother who committed suicide on June 4, 2012. He was a graduate student at UCDavis and was to graduate on June 14th in the area of biomechanics. Our society needs to take mental illness a little more serious. My brother was the 6th graduate student to commit suicide in the last year. Sounds like the University needs to be a little more proactive in creating an environment where help is a little more readily available. Once again I pray you find your daughter and please when you do tell her how much you love her. Make sure you understand the side effects that all the medicines that these doctors give them many times makes them worse ...chemical imbalances ......than sometimes they were before they start getting treated. Give her lots of love and a life time of support to battle her depression. I dont want you to have to go through what our family is currently going through. My heart goes out to your daughter and your family.