Bryce Laspisa was a college student from California who disappeared in 2013. On August 30, 2013, he started driving home from Chico, where he had just broken up with his girlfriend, to his parents’ home in Laguna Niguel.
While on the way, Bryce ran out of gas near Buttonwillow and called roadside assistance, who brought him fuel. Hours later, at Bryce’s mother’s request, the same roadside assistance worker went back to check on him and found Bryce still sitting in the same spot. Bryce told the worker he was fine and had just been sleeping.
Later that night, around 12:30 a.m., Bryce’s parents tried to call him but got no answer. At 1:50 a.m., they finally reached him, and he told them he was driving on I-5 but couldn’t see any road signs. At 2:08 a.m., Bryce took an exit into a suburban area and told his mom he was going to sleep in his car. She asked him to call her in the morning when he woke up — but he never did.
At 8 a.m., Bryce’s mom woke up to the sound of the doorbell. A California Highway Patrol officer was there and asked if their car had been stolen. His parents explained that Bryce had been driving it home. The officer then said they had found the car but not Bryce, and that another officer would contact them soon.
Bryce’s 2003 Toyota Highlander had been found overturned on the Castaic Lake Main Boat Launch access road. The crash happened sometime between 4:20 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. when law enforcement arrived for a training exercise. The car had gone off a 15-foot ravine nose-first and landed on its side. Investigators found that Bryce had used an emergency tool to break the back window and get out.
Search crews used helicopters, airplanes, boats, ground teams, tracking dogs, and divers to search the area around the crash site. Inside the car, they found Bryce’s cell phone, wallet with all his credit cards, laptop, and all of his clothes — but there was no sign of Bryce. Eventually, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department downgraded the case to an “informal search.”
In the days before his disappearance, Bryce had been acting strangely, worrying his friends and family. He gave away his Xbox and a pair of diamond earrings to his roommate. He also sent his roommate a message saying, “I love you, bro, seriously. You’re the best person I’ve ever met. You saved my soul.” He also broke up with his girlfriend, telling her that she’d be better off without him and that he wanted to give her closure.