Linnea Lomax

Posted: 06/29/2012 2:24 pm
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Authorities in California are searching for a missing college student who disappeared after leaving an outpatient therapy center.

Linnea Lomax, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Davis, was last seen at an outpatient clinic on Howe Ave. in Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon.

"She was at the clinic for an all day visit, but she walked out during lunch and never came back," Lomax family spokesperson Heidi Hutchison told The Huffington Post.

According to Hutchison, Lomax recently suffered a mental breakdown while studying for finals. The young woman spent more than a week at a treatment facility but was released for outpatient therapy after she showed progress.

Lomax, a 2011 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., had just completed her freshman year at UC Davis. She has a 4.0 grade point average and is studying human development, with the intent of pursuing a degree in nursing.

"Linnea is an angel. She is very smart. She is very sweet and caring," Hutchison said. "She is normally a very self-confident, self-assured and well-adjusted young woman. She has a bright future, a loving, supportive family and a heck of a lot of friends."

Facebook.com/HelpFindLinnea

Lomax's parents operate Rock-N-Water Christian camp in Northern California. According to the organization's website, the purpose of the camp is to, "experience the joy of God's living word through adventures in the outdoors, so that they might come to know Jesus and pass on God's love with excitement."

Hutchison said Lomax has worked at the camp for the past several summers as a counselor for teens.

Authorities do not suspect foul play in Lomax's disappearance but do consider her at-risk because her recent actions are not consistent with her normal behavior.

"We think she is scared and does not want to be found at this point," Hutchison said.

Search teams Friday are concentrating in a five-mile radius near Discovery Park and the surrounding Sacramento River area.

Lomax is white, 5'2" tall and weighs approximately 100 pounds. She has long blond hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing green pants and a dark blue hooded sweatshirt that says "Sweden" in red letters.

Anyone who spots Linnea Lomax is asked not to approach her, but to contact the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at 916-874-5115. Those interested in helping search for the missing teen can find information at Facebook.com/HelpFindLinnea.

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must-see video at above link.

June 29, 2012 3:53 PM

UC Davis student Linnea Lomax disappeared after leaving mental hospital, father says

By Crimesider Staff Topics Daily Blotter

(CBS) SACRAMENTO - Friends and family passed out flyers of missing 19-year-old UC Davis student Linnea Lomax, who was last seen Tuesday leaving a mental hospital in the Sacramento area, CBS Sacramento reports.

Linnea's father, Craig Lomax, told CBS Sacramento that his daughter is a perfectionist, a straight-A student and a hard worker who always focused on doing her best. But after some struggles at the University of California, Davis, she started to change.

"I think people call it a nervous breakdown. I don't know if that's the technical term for it but she just got so stressed she broke down," Craig said. "She had lost a lot of weight and she was very stressed, and she wasn't being reasonable."

Worried for her welfare, Linnea's family pulled her out of school before finals and placed her in an outpatient therapy center for 10 days. She disappeared a day after being released.

Since her disappearance, hundreds of family, friends and volunteers have searched for the missing teen in in the Sacramento area. Linnea's family asks anyone who spots her to call 911 immediately, saying she doesn't have her medication and they worry about what may happen to her.

"You know you're loved. I know that part of you still knows, but the other part's not working and we need you to call home," said Craig Lomax, in a message to his daughter.

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Linnea Lomax Bizarre Details—Mental Breakdown, Suicide or Abduction?

June 29, 2012 04:45 PM EDT
by Chelsea Hoffman

When Linnea Lomax was first reported missing, the headlines didn't quite reveal the details surrounding her strange disappearance. Now there are bizarre details coming to the attention of the public that reveal the woman's disappearance could be on her own accord. Nonetheless, the family of the 19-year-old UC Davis student want her found. Could her disappearance be the result of a mental meltdown or did she vanish under some kind of duress?

Craig Lomax, the father of the missing woman, said the following:

"I think people call it a nervous breakdown. I don't know if that's the technical term for it but she just got so stressed she broke down. She had lost a lot of weight and she was very stressed, and she wasn't being reasonable."

Linnea Lomax is described as being "a perfectionist" and a straight-A student who cracked under the pressure of finals at UC Davis. If this contributed to the girl's disappearance, then this casts a dark shadow over the entire case, just as much if she had been abducted. She had just left a mental care outpatient facility before going missing, so to be honest, the cause of her disappearance could be either theory. Hopefully the family and friends of this young woman don't hang their hopes on the fact that she was suffering mental and emotional issues, because these issues also leave a woman vulnerable to attack and abduction.

If she was cracking under the pressure of studying and whatever emotional issues she was facing, it's highly likely that she wandered away to commit suicide. Of course this is something the woman's loved ones don't want to consider, nor do they appear to be considering the possibility of an abduction. In fact, the father's demeanor in the above linked report indicates a sort of carefree approach to this disappearance.

To be clear, the family of this missing woman seem convinced that "she does not want to be found," which is probably true. They'd know her better than anyone else. Nonetheless, it just seems like a strange idea for her to vanish for over 48 hours without making any contact whatsoever. This is also not in her character even if she did just recently suffer a breakdown.

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This is just me, but as much as I enjoy reading Ms. Hoffman's columns, to state Linnea may have committed suicide is a bit presumptuous. Actually, she said it's "highly likely". Well, I don't know about you but I do not think that Ms. Hoffman has the credentials to be making that statement.

Search continues for 19-year-old UC Davis student missing in Sacramento

By Kim Minugh
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Published: Friday, Jun. 29, 2012 - 12:00 am

Friends and family of a missing 19-year-old Placerville woman say she is scared, off her psychiatric medications and without a phone or wallet and are asking for the public's help in finding her.

They cautioned, however, that they believe Linnea Lomax does not want to be found and ask that anyone who sees her not talk to her, but instead contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Lomax, a freshman studying biology at the University of California, Davis, was last seen Tuesday afternoon at an outpatient facility on Howe Avenue. She left on her own will, said Julie Warren, a friend of the Lomax family.

The young woman's friends and family say she had a breakdown while studying for finals. She spent 10 days in a treatment facility, where she received medication and was making progress, Warren said.

Lomax then was upgraded to outpatient services, but she fled after lunch the first day.

"Of course it was scary for her, and because she's not in a normal mental state, she has fear that we're out to get her," Warren said.

Warren said the young woman's parents, who own a Christian youth adventure company, have not been able to sleep since she went missing, and they are working hard to find her.

Some family and friends spent Thursday camped out at the Loaves & Fishes shelter, where she was reported to have been seen Wednesday, Warren said. She also has been seen on Del Paso Boulevard.

"She's a brilliant, bright young woman, a 4.5 (grade point average) student," Warren said. "It's very saddening."

Lomax is described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing 100 pounds. She has long, curly blond hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. She was last seen wearing green pants, a dark blue sweat shirt and flip flops.

Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos said Lomax is considered at risk because her behavior is not normal for her. However, he said there are no indications so far that a crime has occurred.

Anyone who has information about Lomax's whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

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Linnea Lomax Search is Getting Ridiculous

by Chelsea Hoffman

Nineteen-year-old Linnea Lomax disappeared from the Sutter Health psychiatric clinic in Sacramento before her parents could retrieve her after a 10-day stint. She was pressured into checking herself into the clinic by her family, but the facility gave her a clean bill of health. Even the two police agencies that have looked at this case acknowledge that the UC Davis coed is not mentally disabled, but the family and their recruited volunteers are continually spreading contradictory statements. Either these contradictions are done so in a way to call two different sheriff's departments liars or they are being purposely misleading. Now they are offering $5,000 for the "return" of the voluntarily missing adult.

This is starting to get ridiculous. Again, it needs to be made perfectly clear that this young woman is voluntarily missing. She is a legal adult. She does not want to be located by her family. How many times does this need to be repeated? It has been confirmed by two different police agencies that these are the facts. It has been confirmed at least a dozen times now that she is not mentally disabled or in a state of mental frenzy as her parents are trying to push into the media.

While it is understandable that the parents of any missing adult will worry, what the Lomaxes are doing here should not be taking place. They are soliciting for donations, recruiting volunteers, and offering a reward for an essential capture and return to their clutches. Indeed, these people are more than entitled to be worried for their adult daughter, but it just seems that they are laying this obsession on so thick that it comes across as making them seem overbearing and controlling--to say the least.

A $5,000 reward will probably sound good to anyone who knows where this young woman is, but what are they going to do to convince her to return home to her family--where she obviously does not want to go? Do they intend on taking this missing woman against her will? Linnea Lomax doesn't want to be found by her family, period. Police have confirmed this, so why continue? This is turning into a huge mess, and the young woman is probably more than aware of what's been going on in the searches for her. To be frank, this whole uproar is probably pushing her farther into hiding, and can you blame her?
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I would like to know 'gather's' source of this information. Not that I doubt it. Just would like to know how the author knows this. How could she possibly know this gal isn't mentally unstable? She would not have access to her medical records. This would have to be considered conjecture on the author's part. She needs to name her source or NOT say these things cause upthread she said the gal had probably committed suicide. Now, she is just find and doesn't want to be found?

Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos said Lomax is considered at risk because her behavior is not normal for her. However, he said there are no indications so far that a crime has occurred.

Just because she left of her own free will does not mean she did not meet up with foul play. Going cold turkey off medications is not the way to do it and would make her very vulnerable.

True. We have no way of knowing if she had weaned off meds or what was going on.

And, IF her family are control freaks, she at 19 has every right to go MIA.

I agree with both of you. I realize that she has a right to be 'missing' but if that was my daughter I would be doing just what her parents are doing. It has to be a nightmare to be told that your missing child is considered an adult by law. I can understand this from both sides but Linnea should call her parent or someone so it's known she's OK.

I agree. They are worried sick from the video that is posted. They may be just concerned parents and not control freaks but either way, the very least she could do is call them or send them a message some way.

Linnea Lomax Contradictions: Is She at Risk or Not?
July 10, 2012 12:55 PM EDT

Linnea Lomax vanished around June 26, 2012 after being released from Sutter Health Psychiatry in Sacramento, Calif., and her case has been muddled with contradiction from day one. From the beginning, the investigators in Sacramento County claim that she is an "adult voluntary walkout," meaning she is in no danger and simply decided to up-and-leave on her own. Even El Dorado County Sheriff's department have confirmed this as truth. However, now there are contradictions and one has to wonder if the family is laying the pressure on thick with this small-county department.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office issued a press release on the 7th of this month, which was published yesterday on this publication. The release said that since Linnea Lomax hasn't been spotted in about a week, she is now classified as a "Missing Person at Risk."

However, at 8:12 a.m., PST, today, a phone call was placed to both the El Dorado County and Sacramento County Sheriff's Departments. While it seems that anyone who can be of assistance in the El Dorado County office is on some kind of vacation and unreachable (true story, wow), the Sacramento County dispatch proved helpful, to a point. The woman on the line specifically stated that Linnea is a voluntarily missing adult and there is no evidence that she is at risk. Nothing has changed in this case. So what's with the contradiction, and why can't information officers with the El Dorado County Sheriff's department be reachable, like ever?

According to the California Department of Justice, to be classified as "Missing Person at Risk," a person must meet the following criteria:

Be the victim of foul play or other crime
Be in need of medical assistance
Have no history of running away or vanishing
Be the victim of parental abduction or being mentally impaired

Well, when you look at the CDOJ criteria as it is listed, it's apparent that technically Linnea Lomax should have been considered "at risk" from the very beginning, and analysis of her case in the first week included the possibility that she was abducted or even may have committed suicide. She doesn't (as far as the public knows) have a history of running away and seeing as though she suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder she could somewhat be considered mentally impaired.

Nonetheless, officials on this case have specifically stated in the past that she is an adult who voluntarily disappeared and is not "mentally disabled." So, why have they suddenly flip-flopped in El Dorado County regarding the missing UC Davis coed's case? Is it simply because she hasn't been spotted in a week?

It was claimed by a caller on the Case to Case podcast (on BlogTalkRadio) that she was seen four days after her disappearance carrying a large bag, so perhaps she split and left town. It's a possibility and an ample one as to why she hasn't been seen in a week. On the other hand, there is always the small chance that she really isn't missing on her own and has fallen victim to some kind of foul play. Regardless of whether she is a voluntarily missing adult or a "missing person at risk," the departments that have presided over this case need to get on the same page, and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department needs to consider getting in touch with more credible media sources that have access to Google indexing, since their press release slipped right through the cracks. This lack of attention to detail may result in another missing woman slipping through the cracks as well -- and nobody wants that, not even someone with a so called "agenda." All that matters, in the end, is that Linnea is safe and not in harm's way. If she doesn't want to be found by her family, that is her absolute right, but she must make contact somehow to let the world know that she is fine and wants to be left alone.

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Linnea Lomax's Parents Write Open Letter to Their Missing Daughter
UC Davis student Linnea Lomax has been missing since June 26, for more than two weeks.
By Patch Staff July 13, 2012

The parents of missing UC Davis student Linnea Lomax wrote an open letter to their daughter on Thursday. Lomax, 19, has been missing since June 26, when she disappeared after an outpatient visit at an outpatient facility on Howe Avenue in Sacramento.

Lomax had a nervous breakdown during finals at UC Davis and was checked into a facility. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department has handed the case over to El Dorado County (Lomax's family is from Placerville) since Lomax is 19, and now considered to be "voluntarily missing" by authorities.

Here's the letter from Lomax's parents, which they hope will help establish contact with their daughter:

Dear Linnea,

We love you beyond what words can express. We have cherished you from your first breath and our affection has only increased with each day. We never imagined loving anyone as much as we love you and your brother and sister. No matter what happens, our love for you will not falter. We will never stop loving you passionately. Never.

Our best memories are filled with you. 19 years of absolute enjoyment coming from your compassionate character, your skills and your joy-filled personality. Our thoughts are filled with thousands of beautiful images of you: bakery runs, private piano recitals, the “donut hotel,” singing “concerts” in the dishline at camp, hikes on mountains and through rivers, lazy summer days, Gram’s playhouse, the RV trip, the summer house, playing in the ocean surf, baking sessions, you yelling at your sister when she cheats at board games, “training” the dog… the happy memories are seemingly endless. You have given us so much to be thankful for: we look back and love it all.

We love your past and look forward to your future. You are so special to us and we want to be by your side through the best and worst of times. We have so much hope for your future, and for our future together.

The last 14 days have been the most difficult days of our lives. The pain of not knowing if you are okay is unbearable. If you are able, please, please let us know where you are. The greatest gift you could give us would be to communicate to us that you are safe. Also, we hope you understand that it would be our honor and delight to stand with you as you work toward having hope again. We are on your team forever.

We will never stop thinking about you, and wanting to hear from you, not even for a moment. We believe that nothing can separate you from the love of God. We hope you know that nothing can change our love for you, either.

We love you every second of every day and are praying for you. We long for the day that we know you are safe.

- Mom and Dad.

(Marianne and Craig Lomax)

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What a letter, those poor parents! I do hope that Linnea contacts someone to let everyone she's OK.

It's fine if she wants to be on her own, away from the family, but I hope that she will contact them so that they know that she is OK...Maybe she's not, but how is anyone to know if no one is looking for her?

Linnea Lomax: Update: Recent changes to her facebook account

Posted on July 27, 2012 by The Queen of Scrutiny

Although Linnea Lomax’s family still insists she is missing, her facebook page suggests otherwise. Once again, Linnea Lomax has added another friend to her account, bringing her total number of friends up to 678. Further confirmation of the fact that this is indeed a recent change is the fact that her new friend did not join facebook until the 29th of June. She was reported missing on the 26th of June. This demonstrates that Linnea added this new friend to her account after she allegedly disappeared.

I have been following this case from the beginning, and in that time frame, I have documented four different changes.

If Linnea is still missing and in danger, as her family strongly believes, then who is making the changes to her account?

If her family is responsible for the changes, they should recognize that what they are doing is illegal. A private online account is protected by law. Senate bill 1411, relating to internet impersonation, was passed by the California State Senate and Assembly in the summer of 2010. This bill bears mentioning in this instance.

Existing law makes it a crime to falsely impersonate another in either his or her private or official capacity, as specified.
Existing law also makes it a crime to knowingly access and,without permission, alter, damage, delete, destroy, or otherwise use any
data, computer, computer system, or computer network in order to devise or execute any scheme or artifice to defraud, deceive, or extort, or wrongfully control or obtain money, property, or data. For a violation thereof, in addition to specified criminal penalties,existing law authorizes an aggrieved party to bring a civil actionagainst the violator, as specified.

While it may be a stretch to think that a crime has been committed in this instance, it is obvious that Linnea’s privacy has been violated.

I think its high time that the spokesperson for the “Find Linnea Lomax” campaign come forward and clear the air about this matter. With the upcoming silent auction and dinner they have planned to raise money for their cause, I can imagine they might just be too darn busy.

I will not stop making observations about these facebook changes until someone comes forward to explain who is responsible and why it was done. If the family is not making the changes then that certainly indicates Linnea is alive and well. In that case, the fund raising efforts of this group of people need to be looked at as attempts to defraud the public by raising money to search for a woman who is not in danger, but who has chosen not to contact her family by choice.

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August 19, 2012

Marc Klaas joins 'massive ground search' for Placerville teen

Marc Klaas, founder of the KlaasKIDS Foundation named for his 12-year-old daughter murdered after she was kidnapped in 1993, will appear today with the parents of a missing Placerville teenager to announce a "massive ground search" along the American River.

Linnea Lomax, 19, walked away from an outpatient mental health facility at the 800 block of Howe Avenue in Sacramento on June 26.

Her family said she was getting treatment after having a mental breakdown while studying for finals at the University of California, Davis.

Linnea is 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighs about 100 pounds and has curly, long blond hair. She was last seen wearing green pants, a black sweat shirt with "Sweden" in red letters and flip-flops. She has no medication, wallet or phone with her.

Her parents have launched a full-scale effort to find her, asking that she communicate to them that she is safe.

Last month, the reward for the missing teen was increased to $10,000. Contrary to earlier reports of sightings of Lomax in the weeks after she left the mental health facility, today's press announcement of her disappearance says she has not been seen since she walked away from the center.

"We had some sightings that we thought were pretty good at the beginning. We've since ruled those out," said Amanda Ernst, a spokeswoman for the search effort.

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I am of the opinion that she is alive and well and simply wants no contact w/her family. I think Marc is wasting his time. Sure wish we could get him involved w/Faith's case but he seems to stick to cases in California, where he lives.

KlaasKids Foundation helping to locate 19-year-old Linnea Lomax
UPDATED 5:11 PM PDT Aug 19, 2012

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) -
Searchers said they have found items belonging to missing UC-Davis student Linnea Lomax.

After three days of combing through the weeds and thick brush on the banks of the American River in Sacramento, search leaders said they have found a yellow legal pad and folder containing notes written by Lomax.

The items were in the woman's possession when she disappeared from on June 26 from the 800 block of Howe Avenue.

"As of this point, this is the only place we can point to and say 'She was here,' since the time of her disappearance," said Lomax's father, Craig.

Marc Klaas, of the KlaasKIDS Foundation, said that while there have been many possible sightings, the items found Sunday are the only verifiable evidence found so far.

Her family said they must now face the tough reality that something terrible may have happened to her.

Lomax's father said she had a nervous breakdown on June 26 and needs medication to function.

At a news conference last month, the sheriff and her parents pleaded with the community to be on the lookout for her.

"It's a nightmare not to know where your daughter's at, and we need your help. We need your help to look for her," her mother, Marianne Lomax said.

Investigators served search warrants to get access to her social media accounts, but so far, have found nothing.

Beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, the KlaasKids Foundation and search-and-rescue teams led hundreds of volunteers on a three-day search of the American River area in Sacramento.

Thursday marks the one-month point since anyone has seen or heard from Linnea Lomax, a missing first-year UC Davis student.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to her safe return.

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Her family said they must now face the tough reality that something terrible may have happened to her.

Lomax's father said she had a nervous breakdown on June 26 and needs medication to function.

Finding the notes close to the river doesn't sound good.

No it does not sound good at all

I agree. If this girl needed meds to function she could have went into the river herself on the first day. How sad.

Posted: 09/04/2012 4:33 pm

The search will resume on Friday for California college student Linnea Lomax, who has been missing since June.

"The KlaasKids Foundation is coming back to complete searching areas along the Sacramento River -- areas they previously wanted to search," Lomax family spokeswoman Amanda Ernst told The Huffington Post.

Brad Dennis, director of search operations for KlaasKids, is asking volunteers to report to 2440 Glendale Lane in Sacramento between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 7, 8, and 9. Dennis and his associates will be leading a massive ground search for clues in the case.

Lomax, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Davis, was last seen at an outpatient clinic on Howe Ave. in Sacramento on June 26. She was at the clinic for an all-day visit, but she walked out for lunch and never came back, Lomax's friend, Heidi Hutchison, told The Huffington Post.

According to Hutchison, Lomax recently suffered a mental breakdown while studying for finals. The young woman spent more than a week at a treatment facility, but was released for outpatient therapy after she showed progress.

Lomax, a 2011 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., had just completed her freshman year at UC Davis in June. She has a 4.0 grade point average and is studying human development, with the intent of pursuing a degree in nursing.

Facebook.com/HelpFindLinnea

Lomax's parents operate Rock-N-Water Christian camp in Northern California. According to the organization's website, the purpose of the camp is to "experience the joy of God's living word through adventures in the outdoors." Lomax has worked at the camp for the past several summers as a counselor for teens.

Multiple searches have been conducted for Lomax, and late last month authorities received their first solid lead when a notebook belonging to her was found near the American River bike trail. The location is not far from the medical center where she was receiving treatment, police said.

Craig Lomax, Lienna Lomax's father, confirmed that the notebook belonged to his daughter.

"I saw the handwriting on the notebook. It was Linnea's," he said at an Aug. 19 press conference.

According to Ernst, authorities still have the notebook.

"They are still processing it," she said. "They have not said what, if anything, was found in it."

Individuals who would like to participate in the next search must be at least 18 years old and must bring a photo ID. It is recommended that volunteers wear sturdy shoes, long pants and long sleeves. Volunteers should also bring gloves, walking sticks and backpacks to carry water.

Linnea Lomax is white, 5 foot 2 inches tall and weighs approximately 100 pounds. She has long blond hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing green pants and a dark blue hooded sweatshirt that says "Sweden" in red letters.

A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides information that directly leads to the safe return of Lomax to her family or to the custody of law enforcement. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at 916-564-2215 or by calling 916-905-HELP. Those interested in helping search for the missing teen can find information at Facebook.com/HelpFindLinnea or at HelpFindLinnea.org.

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September 7, 2012

By Kim Minugh and Richard Chang
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A volunteer search party looking for a missing UC Davis student found a body along the American River and notified police this morning, sparking an investigation into whether the body is that of Linnea Lomax.

Sacramento police told The Bee that the group of searchers found the body at 10:18 a.m. along the river in the vicinity of Glenn Hall Park in the River Park neighborhood near Sacramento State -- not far from where Lomax walked away from a mental health appointment more than two months ago.

Police spokesman Doug Morse said at a press conference shortly after noon that the body is that of a woman and shows signs of decomposition. Authorities say the age of the woman is not yet clear and that they do not know how the woman died.

The body was found in a wooded area along the river by a group of 25 to 30 volunteer searchers looking for signs of Lomax.

Her family indicated that they have been asked by Sacramento sheriff's officials to wait until Saturday before making any statements, according to family spokeswoman Amanda Ernst, but Sacramento police said Lomax' mother was with the search party this morning.

"Until such time as confirmation is made, the family is asking for continued support, prayers and privacy," stated a press release from Ernst.

The statement also thanked the press for keeping the disappearance of Lomax in the public eye.

The discovery brought a number of media members to the area, along with park rangers and a law enforcement chaplain vehicle with three people inside.

Many searches have been mounted for Lomax, including the one that started today and was scheduled to continue through the weekend.

The initial search began for the young woman began the afternoon of June 26, when her parents, Craig Lomax and his wife, Marianne, went to pick up Linnea from an outpatient facility on Howe Avenue, only to find she had apparently left earlier that day.

According to her parents, the teen suffered a breakdown while studying for finals at the University of California, Davis.

During 10 days of inpatient therapy, they said, she disagreed with doctors' initial diagnoses of anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders and refused some of the medications they prescribed. Hours into her first day of outpatient counseling, she disappeared.

Friends and family describe Linnea Lomax as a smart, caring and driven young woman. One friend called her a "sunflower, " another "vibrant."

In an interview shortly after her disappearance, Craig Lomax said his eldest daughter was an incredibly hard worker who has always strived to be the best in every aspect of her life: school, sports, faith, volunteer work.

But he believed it was that same drive that might have pushed her to a dark place.

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September 7, 2012 9:06 PM

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The Lomax family has confirmed that the body found on an American River levee near Sacramento State University is that of UC Davis student Linnea Lomax, who has been missing since late June.

A search party organized to look for 19-year-old Linnea Lomax found the badly decomposed body Friday morning behind a home on Sandburg Way in the Campus Commons area.

Lomax has been missing since she walked away from an outpatient mental health facility in Sacramento on June 26.

In August, a search party organized by friends and family found a notebook belonging to Lomax on the American River Bike Trail near where the body was found.

Just after 1:00 pm, a press release from helpfindlinnea.org was sent out saying that the family of Linnea Lomax plans to hold a press conference within 24 hours.

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In our sorrow…
Help Find Linnea
Wonderful volunteers. We are grieved to report that we have just received confirmation that our search for Linnea has ended in sorrow. She has gone to be with her Lord. Yet in our sorrow we do not despair, knowing we will see her again one day. Arrangements for a Celebration of Life service are being made and details will follow. More information will be released as her family deems appropriate. In the meantime, please allow them privacy as they mourn, and please continue to hold them up in prayer. “13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep...18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 English Standard Version (ESV)

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By Jennifer K. Morita Email the author 9:08 pm

The family of Linnea Lomax received confirmation that the missing 19 year-old UC Davis student is dead, according to a posting on the Help Find Linnea Facebook page.

“We are grieved to report that we have just received confirmation that our search for Linnea has ended in sorrow. She has gone to be with her Lord. Yet in our sorrow we do not despair, knowing we will see her again one day,” a statement posted shortly before 9 p.m. Friday reads.

Earlier this evening, another post suspended any further search efforts after a woman’s dead body was found along the American River.

Volunteers searching for Lomax discovered human remains in a heavily wooded area along the levee just north of Glenn Hall Park in Sacramento’s River Park neighborhood around 10:18 a.m. Friday, Sacramento Police Officer Doug Morse said.

A preliminary investigation did not reveal a time, or cause, of death due to advanced decomposition, according to Morse.At this time no foul play is apparent, Morse said.

Lomax, a 19 year-old El Dorado County resident and UC Davis student, was reported missing on June 26th and was last seen in the 800 block of Howe Avenue in Sacramento, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office, not far from where the remains were found.

She had been at a scheduled appointment at an outpatient psychiatric hospital. She left the building to go to lunch, but never returned to her apartment, authorities said.

The initial investigation was handled by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, but later transferred to El Dorado County.

Circumstances of the case suggested Lomax was “voluntarily missing”, and there were no signs of kidnapping or abduction, according to El Dorado County authorities.

A Celebration of Life for Lomax is currently being arranged.

Anyone with information about this investigation should contact Sacramento Police dispatch at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

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So SAD!! I thought for sure she had run away. What a week this has been!

Bee staff
Published: Friday, Sep. 7, 2012 - 12:18 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Sep. 7, 2012 - 9:54 pm

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office confirmed Friday night that the body of a woman found Friday morning near the American River was Linnea Lomax, who had been missing for 10 weeks.

The cause and manner of death are under investigation, but "foul play does not appear to be a factor at this point of the investigation," according to a Coroner's Office news release.

Lomax, 19, who grew up in Placerville, had been missing since June 26, when she left out-patient counseling at a clinic not far from where the body was found along the American River near Glenn Hall Park.

Lomax family spokeswoman Amanda Ernst said Friday night that arrangements are being made for a celebration of life service and details will be made available to the public. She said no further details were available. Ernst said the family will schedule a news conference in the coming week.

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I am so sorry to read this. I feel so much for her family. I've felt for quite a while that she might have run away to commit suicide, I hope I'm wrong but what else could it be if not foul play or suicide.

If the family and friends had not been so persistent in organizing these search parties, the notebook, and eventually the body, may have not ever been found. It doesn't seem like the authorities were too helpful in this endeavor...Maybe they just thought that she had run away...

Posted: 09/12/2012 4:16 pm

The mother of Linnea Lomax said she is the one who found her daughter's body.

The heartbroken mother of University of California, Davis, student Linnea Lomax said she is the one who discovered her daughter's body hanging from a tree near the American River in Sacramento, Calif., this past Friday morning.

"We stood there and we smelled a bad smell, and we were smelling every plant around trying to figure out what it could be," an emotional Marianne Lomax explained at a press conference Tuesday.

Lomax said the smell led her to some thick brush underneath a tree. She said she bent down and crawled through the foliage.

"I crawled through on my knees and hands, and I came to a pretty place right by the river, and the river was there and there was really nothing else there, and then I saw my daughter," she said. "I looked for two seconds, and I knew that was her. I ran up screaming and called 911, and that's how it went."

Marianne Lomax made the horrific discovery while searching in the area of Glenn Hall Park with volunteers from the KlaasKids Foundation. Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, preliminary investigations were unable to determine cause and time of death.

According to Linnea Lomax's father, Craig Lomax, his daughter took her own life.

"It is clear to us that, after a fairly quick onset of mental illness, her delusional fears overcame her to such an extreme that she committed suicide by hanging herself," he said.

The 19-year-old student was last seen alive at an outpatient clinic on Howe Avenue in Sacramento on June 26. She was at the clinic for an all-day visit, but she walked out for lunch and never came back, her friend Heidi Hutchison told The Huffington Post.

According to Hutchison, Lomax had suffered a mental breakdown while studying for finals. A 2011 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., she had just completed her freshman year at UC Davis in June. She had a 4.0 grade point average and was studying human development, with the intent of pursuing a degree in nursing.

The young woman spent more than a week at a treatment facility. After she showed progress, she was released for outpatient therapy.

Multiple searches were conducted for Lomax, and late last month authorities received their first solid lead when a notebook belonging to her was found near the American River bike trail. The location was not far from the medical center where she was receiving treatment and not far from where her body was later found, police said.

Craig Lomax said he and his wife are still trying to understand what went wrong.

"Up until this last spring, no one ever suspected she might someday become a victim of mental illness," he said. "Her earthly future was filled with the promise of a life with lots of joy, love and meaning. She is our dear sweet daughter who could not be loved more by us or her brother and sister. Our pain is great because our love is great."

Marianne Lomax said she had been praying that God would help her find Linnea, and she said her prayers were answered.

"I believe that God brought me to her, and there's closure because of that."

According to Lomax family spokeswoman Amanda Ernst, a "celebration of life" service will be held for Linnea Lomax on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 22, at Green Valley Community Church in Placerville.

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video's and docs at above link. OMG!! I cannot begin to imagine how this poor mother is doing!

OMG!!!! That poor woman! I read that she was part of the search party that located Linnea's body and I thought to myself 'I could not do that for fear I would be the one to find the body OR I would see it'! That image will never leave her mind. I felt bad for this family but now I feel downright horrible.

I could not believe it when I read it. Holy shit, that poor woman!!

I agree with both of you. I cannot imagine finding your child like this.

Written by David Greenwald
Wednesday, 12 September 2012 04:58

Tragedy - A Reminder That We Need More Proactive Attention to Mental Illness -

Unfortunately, the sad episode of Linnea Lomax, a 19-year-old UC Davis student, has come to an end, probably in the worst and most excruciating way one could possibly imagine, with her mother finding her body hanging from a tree next to the American River on Friday.

The story hits painfully home for all parents, for I'm sure it's one of many worst nightmares. That this one might have been prevented only makes it all the worse.

When the news hit yesterday, I posted to my Facebook page the news and it triggered an unusual amount of responses. But I think a lot of us got this wrong.

Suicide of any sort is often deemed a selfish act as the individual deals with their own pain and misery in a way that profoundly impacts all of those who care about them the very most. This one was worse than most, as she literally disappeared for weeks, and so the parents and loved ones had the anguish of the unknown.

But reading the account in the Sacramento Bee this morning, I realized that my first thought was completely wrong. What became clear reading the interview with the parents is that the illness that Ms. Lomax suffered overwhelmed all capacity for reasoned thought.

As he parents described, "Her delusional fears overcame her. It was an illness that overcame her ability to think."

And it appears to have happened very quickly, with her parents describing her as "a bright, happy young woman until her third quarter in college, when she began losing weight and obsessing over small things. While studying for finals, they said, she had a breakdown and appeared to be contemplating suicide."

She then spent a week in a mental health facility before she was released. During lunch break of her first day of outpatient therapy she simply walked away and was never heard from again.

As much as this is a personal tragedy, however, I believe her parents are correct - this is a failure by our system to save the life of a young girl, just entering college who apparently never had a chance.

The Bee reports, "Even before Linnea was found, the Lomaxes talked about trying to change a system they think did not offer a safety net for their daughter." Adding to that, Mr. Lomax "believes his daughter's judgment was clouded when she insisted she didn't need help - a common frustration expressed by loved ones of mentally ill people - but that because of her age, she was able to walk away from therapy."

"We feel the loss was unnecessary and avoidable," Craig Lomax said. "No one should have to suffer what Linnea did, or what we are suffering."

And so today with heavy hearts, we need to understand that, as much as this is a personal tragedy, this is a community tragedy.

We need to figure out what went wrong here, what we could have done, and how we can prevent the next young student from suffering the same fate.

It is difficult in times like these to avoid flailing around blindly for the easiest answers. The first layer has to come at the university - figuring out ways to allow students to handle stress and to distinguish between the normal stresses of college and the overwhelming challenges of mental illness.

Some of the biggest challenges seem to lie in the very nature of mental illness itself - the inability for the individual inflicted with the disease to recognize the disease. And the inability of our society, even family, to compel treatment on an unwilling patient.

The other challenge has been the stigma attached to mental illness. Hopefully, old attitudes will change, however. It was remarkable sitting in a seminar last spring, where a researcher showed MRI images of the normal brain compared with someone who was schizophrenic and someone who was bipolar. There are notable and obvious difference in the physiology of the brain. These are not mental illnesses so much as brain abnormalities. Some of this can be treated with medication, but again that requires that the individual - who is not of sound mind - consent to the treatment.

These are all questions that, hopefully, will get raised in light of this tragedy. Even more tragically, it will likely be on the grieving parents to push for some of these changes. We can only hope to do our parts to avoid this tragedy from being revisited on others in our community and elsewhere.

---David M. Greenwald reporting

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