The LA County Sheriff's Department is working to locate more than 30 missing people from wildfires

The search continues for dozens of missing people from the Eaton and Palisades fires


The search continues for dozens of missing people from the Eaton and Palisades fires

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Just over a week later Forest fires As the situation quickly spread across Southern California, causing chaos and requiring last-minute evacuations, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is working to identify and locate dozens of missing people.

The Sheriff's Department's Homicide Unit has devoted its efforts to locating people who were reported missing during the murder Eaton And Palisades Fires. As of Thursday, the unit had received 43 missing person reports related to the fires.

Scenes after the Eaton fire.

Altadena, Calif. – January 15: Ventura County Fire Urban Search and Rescue, along with San Diego Urban Search and Rescue, searches a former pizza restaurant along Lake Ave. with Human Remain (HR) dogs. on Mendocino St. during the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

Getty Images

Twelve of the people reported missing were safely located. There are 31 active cases that remain under investigation. The Sheriff's Department reported 24 active cases from the Eaton Fire and 7 active cases from the Palisades Fire.

The Sheriff's Department has identified these people as missing:

  • Charles Ross
  • Delores Ann Jenkins
  • Patricia Diann McKenna
  • Stacey Elizabeth Darden
  • Kimberly Dale Winiecki
  • Friedli Miva Wheatley
  • Lora Swayne
  • Eric Wilson Wall
  • Diana Elizabeth Webb
  • Carolyn Ann Burns
  • Oswald Gerhard Altmetz
  • Johnnie Mildred Downs
  • Roosevelt Pullem
  • Martha Ann Howard
  • Kevin Joseph Devine
  • Timothy George Hanley
  • Antron Jamal Wallace

At several news conferences, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said search and rescue teams were working every day, digging through rubble and looking for human remains.

Several deceased people were recovered from burned buildings at both fire sites through search operations with the help of cadaver dogs.

The Homicide Division's Missing Persons Unit publishes missing persons notices and contacts the families of all active cases.

“These bulletins identify individuals who have been reported missing, and the bulletins remain in circulation until the missing person is located or identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. These ongoing efforts ensure the public's assistance in locating the missing and supporting families. “I am waiting for answers,” the Sheriff's Department said.

All human remains found by search parties are examined by the county coroner for identification.

“If you need to report someone from the areas affected by the fire missing, please contact your local law enforcement agency to file a missing person report,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

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