Rebecca Weiss

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) -- An expert diver is missing after going for a weekend dive off the coast of Palos Verdes. Friday investigators were hunting for more clues.

A new development in the search for 50-year-old Rebecca Weiss: Los Angeles County sheriff's officials confirmed Friday that detectives are reviewing video from surveillance cameras at the Terranea Resort, which sits atop the beach where Weiss reportedly had gone snorkeling.

Vilma Causey, Weiss's mother, says she is still holding out hope that her daughter is alive.

Rebecca Weiss was reported missing on Saturday by her husband of 20 years, Alan Weiss. He told investigators that his wife left their home in Marina Del Rey en route to Rancho Palos Verdes, where she planned to go snorkeling.

When she didn't return home, Alan drove to Terranea and found her abandoned SUV in a parking lot. And he says he found her diving bag near a walkway. But Rebecca's family is skeptical about why she would leave her bag so far from the beach.

Thursday, Rebecca's family posted fliers in hopes someone might have seen her. But no one has come forward.

Homicide detectives with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department interviewed Alan Weiss in person Thursday, but they say he is not considered a person on interest, and the case is still being handled as a missing-persons case.

Alan has refused to do interviews with media. Vilma says he hasn't spoken to her son-in-law either.

Friends and family are planning a rally Saturday morning at 9 at City Hall in Rancho Palos Verdes, where they plan to distribute more fliers.

Rebecca Weiss is described as Asian, 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about the case shoudl contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500.

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KTLA News
1:44 p.m. PDT, August 18, 2012

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KTLA) -- A body was found floating in the ocean off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes Saturday near the site where a missing Marina del Rey woman was believed to have disappeared.

The body was spotted around 11:30 a.m. Saturday and was removed from the water an hour later, sheriff's officials said. The beach was quickly closed off for investigation.

Authorities could not confirm the sex or age of the body, nor if it was that of Rebecca Weiss.

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The 50-year-old woman has been missing since last Saturday after her husband told detectives she left their home to go free diving in Rancho Palos Verdes, in a cove near the Terranea Resort.

Sheriff's homicide detectives interviewed Alan Weiss at his home in Marina del Rey on Wednesday and said he was very cooperative.

But when KTLA knocked on his door asking about the disappearance of his wife, Rebecca, he called for security.

Free diving is a form of underwater diving that does not involve the use of scuba gear or other external breathing devices.

Instead, it relies on a diver's ability to hold his or her breath until resurfacing.

While free diving alone is considered to be dangerous, Weiss told police that Rebecca did it often, officials said.

When she failed to return home, Weiss went to the area, where they often dived together.

He found her personal items on the beach, as well as her car parked nearby, but he did not find her, according to a sheriff's department news release.

Her mother, Vilma Causey, says she is doing everything she can to find out what happened to her daughter.

She and other family members say they can't understand why Rebecca's husband won't do the same.

"Very bad, very strange," Causey said of Alan Weiss' behavior.

"That is not the reaction of a person that has somebody missing that is close to you."

Alan and Rebecca Weiss have been married for 20 years.

Rebecca's mother says the relationship hasn't been perfect.

"My daughter told me that she found it on the computer... He has a girlfriend," Causey told KTLA.

Yet the couple seemed happy, according to family and friends, often traveling the world and enjoying their diving hobby together.

Rebecca Weiss is described as Asian with black hair and brown eyes. She stands about 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 115 pounds.

She was last seen leaving her home in the 13000 block of Marina Pointe Drive in Marina Del Rey wearing a wet suit.

Anyone with information on Weiss' whereabouts is encouraged to call sheriff's homicide investigators at 323-890-5500.

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Damn, I'm sorry to hear that they (probably) found her body. Rancho Palos Verdes is where Holly's Mom lives, about 15 minutes from me. I'm not convinced about the husband, yet...

He's on my radar for sure. RPV is gorgeous!

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By Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times
August 19, 2012

The body of an experienced 50-year-old free diver clad in a wet suit was pulled Saturday from waters off Palos Verdes Peninsula, near where she went missing a week earlier.

Authorities said Rebecca Weiss, of Marina del Rey, was found in a cove below the Terranea Resort. Coroner's investigator Elissa Fleak said her agency had not yet established a cause of death and that an autopsy would be conducted Sunday.

The body was discovered about 200 yards offshore in an area that was a favorite dive spot for Weiss and her husband. Alan Weiss went to a sheriff's station Aug. 11 and told deputies that his wife of 20 years had not returned home after a planned dive in the cove. He told investigators he had found her BMW in the resort parking lot and a bag containing her dive equipment by the shore.

Rebecca Weiss' mother and brother were near the resort passing out fliers when recreational divers found the body about 11:30 a.m. Vilma Causey wept and clutched a photo of her daughter as a search-and-rescue boat pulled the body from the water.

A diver involved in the recovery of the body later came ashore and had an emotional conversation with Causey before authorities escorted her away with her son, Bob, aLos Angeles County Sheriff's Departmentsergeant, and daughter-in-law.

Causey told KTLA last week that her son-in-law's behavior was "strange" and "not the reaction of a person that has somebody missing that is close to you." Alan Weiss, 60, has declined to comment.

He was not on the beach Saturday. Lt. Holly Francisco of the sheriff's homicide bureau said she did not know whether Alan Weiss was aware that a body had been found, but described him as "very cooperative" with investigators.

"He met with detectives and provided a whole statement of his last encounter with her," Francisco said.

She said the sheriff's homicide unit was assigned to the case because it involved a missing adult, and Weiss offered detectives an account consistent with his initial report to deputies.

Asked whether investigators shared the suspicions aired by Rebecca Weiss' family in the media, Francisco replied, "No."

She said the homicide unit's purview includes drownings as well as murders.

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that poor Mom. I wonder if Rebecca ever went diving alone before this happened. Were there problems in the marriage that is not being reported yet?

I think I either read or posted a link where her mother said she NEVER went diving alone. I DO suspect foul play.

It was the video her Mother spoke of the family interests in diving and how Rebecca would never go diving alone. But that is why I asked. I wonder if Rebecca did go diving alone before unknown to her Mom.

Wrapitup wrote:He's on my radar for sure. RPV is gorgeous!

RPV IS gorgeous and the prices up there are outrageous. I've never been to that resort (and probably never will) but the kids spent a weekend there and it's beautiful. Donald Trump has his golf course up there too so that tells you quite a bit about the area.
I'm sure I read that the Mother said that her daughter and husband talked divorce but still lived in the same house. I read she said her daughter never went into the ocean alone but wonder if possibly her daughter just told her that so she wouldn't worry? I also read that she was found w/ her wet suit on and had snorkeling equipment on. I sure hope the autopsy will tell the story if the husband killed her.

Coroner: Body Found Is Rebecca Weiss

Rebecca Weiss of Marina del Rey was reported missing Aug. 11 after she didn't return from a diving excursion off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

By Nicole Mooradian
The body found off the Palos Verdes Peninsula late Saturday morning has been positively identified as Rebecca Weiss of Marina del Rey, a representative of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner confirmed Saturday night.

Weiss, 50, was reported missing Aug. 11 after she did not return home from free diving in a cove below the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. Her husband, Alan Weiss, found her car parked in a nearby public access lot and her dive bag near the beach.

"The autopsy will be in the next few days," said representative Elissa Fleak. "She's been positively identified, and we've notified the family."

Recreational divers found the body below the former Marineland site less than three hours after Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department volunteers, friends and family members had begun canvassing the area, handing out fliers and asking people if they had seen Rebecca Weiss.

According to Lt. Holly Francisco of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, Weiss was wearing dive gear when she was discovered, though Francisco did not know whether the gear included weights.

The sheriff’s department closed off access to the beach once the body was discovered, and divers swept the area for additional evidence.

A witness told deputies Saturday that he saw a dive bag sitting on a towel near the beach on the day Rebecca Weiss disappeared.

“I noticed that bag there, like all day,” said Daniel, who declined to give Patch his last name and who often kayaks in the area where Weiss disappeared. “It was there a lot longer than the typical dive would last.”

Involvement of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau in the search spurred speculation that the disappearance had turned into a possible murder case; however, Francisco told the Los Angeles Times that the bureau also investigates drownings as part of its mission.

Investigators have no reason to disbelieve the account given by the missing woman's husband and have no person of interest in the case, the lieutenant said.

Detectives interviewed Alan Weiss on Wednesday as part of normal police procedure, and he gave investigators the same information that he gave them when he reported his wife missing. He has cooperated fully with the missing persons investigation, Francisco said.

She declined to answer any questions relating to surveillance video from the resort.

Anyone who may have seen Weiss diving on Aug. 11 should contact the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

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August 19, 2012 | 10:11 am

Though family members of a 50-year-old free diver found dead Saturday off Palos Verdes Peninsula have cast suspicion about how she died, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives have been careful not to suggest any foul play in connection to the case.

Homicide detectives have been probing the case of Rebecca Weiss, who was reported missing last week by her husband, Alan Weiss. Lt. Holly Francisco of the Sheriff's Department homicide bureau described him as "very cooperative" with investigators.

"He met with detectives and provided a whole statement of his last encounter with her," Francisco said.

Asked whether investigators shared the suspicions aired by Rebecca Weiss' family in the media, Francisco replied, "No."

Coroner's investigator Elissa Fleak said an autopsy would be conducted Sunday.

Rebecca Weiss' body was discovered about 200 yards offshore in an area that investigators said was a favorite dive spot for Weiss and her husband.

Alan Weiss went to a sheriff's station Aug. 11 and told deputies that his wife of 20 years had not returned home after a planned dive in the cove. He told investigators he had found her BMW in a nearby parking lot and a bag containing her dive equipment by the shore.

Rebecca Weiss' mother and brother were near the area passing out fliers when recreational divers found the body about 11:30 a.m. Vilma Causey wept and clutched a photo of her daughter as a search-and-rescue boat pulled the body from the water.

A diver involved in the recovery of the body later came ashore and had an emotional conversation with Causey before authorities escorted her away with her son, Bob; a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department sergeant; and Causey's daughter-in-law.

Causey told KTLA last week that her son-in-law's behavior was "strange" and "not the reaction of a person that has somebody missing that is close to you." Alan Weiss, 60, has declined to comment.

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I wonder if they did the autopsy today....

They said they were to do it today so hopefully, we w/know the results soon.

An autopsy was completed Sunday on a 50-year-old woman whose body was recovered off a Rancho Palos Verdes beach, but the cause of death was deferred, Los Angeles County coroner's officials said.

Rebecca Weiss of Marina del Rey went missing Aug. 11 and her body was recovered Saturday morning near the Terranea Resort. The woman's husband, Alan Weiss, told authorities that she left their home in a wet suit to go free-diving off Rancho Palos Verdes.

He went looking for his wife when she failed to return home, but only found her car and bag near the beach.
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Wonder why they have deferred it?

Exactly what I wondered. Toxicology tests is all I can think of but wonder why they didn't just say it.

Diver talks about grim discovery

Mystery still surrounds the death of Rebecca Weiss, a free-diver whose body was found Aug. 18 in the waters below Terranea Resort.

So far, a cause of death has not been ruled in the case. A LA county coroner’s official said toxicology or tissue samples were requested, which could take up to eight weeks.

Weiss, a Marina del Rey resident, reportedly went snorkeling alone on the public beaches below the resort on Aug. 11. When she didn’t return home that evening, her husband, Allan Weiss, told police he drove to the site, discovered her car in the parking lot above the beach and alerted police.

At first, Rebecca’s family accused her husband of suspicious behavior. But police said from the beginning that he was not a suspect.

After her body was discovered by a group of recreational divers the following weekend, the family has not repeated the claims. Attempts to contact several family members were unsuccessful.

Lars Dennert, one of the divers who found Weiss, talked about the discovery and the plausible explanation for her death. Dennert and three other members of the Pasadena-based Sole Searchers Dive Club found Weiss in the sand on the seafloor bottom about 200 yards off the coast. She was wearing a weight belt and wet suit, he said.

“The dive conditions weren’t very good,” Dennert said. “There was only about five to 10 feet of visibility, sometimes two to three feet. Staying with your dive buddy was tricky. So you can imagine there was a lot of luck involved.”

Dennert said the group had planned at least a month in advance to dive at the location that day. When Dennert and the others arrived a week after Weiss went missing, they were prepared to take part in an ad hoc search on their own.

The parking lot was filled with police officers, media vans and family members handing out fliers. After the divers made the discovery and recovered the body, Dennert said the family showed a lot of appreciation.

“That was an emotional experience, of course,” Dennert said. “The family was happy that we at least found her and brought some closure, but obviously disappointed that she didn’t show up alive.”

For Dennert and the others, the first couple days after the grim discovery were trying, he said.

“You think about it a lot,” he said. “We talked about it and came to the conclusion we did the best we could under the circumstances and hopefully helped the situation along.”

Diving hazards
The waters below the cliffs at Terranea have been a popular dive spot since Marineland of the Pacific occupied the property. Dennert says the waters are protected by a coral reef and a flow of cool water that tends to support kelp and abundant sea life, which makes it a fun place to dive.

For free-divers, who rely on holding their breath without oxygen tanks, he said the biggest danger is called shallow-water black out where divers simply try to hold their breath for too long and pass out underwater. Dennert believes this is possibly what happened to Weiss.

Free-divers typically take three big inhalations before going down in order to hold their breath longer, said Tony Vanore, dive instructor at Dive N’ Surf in Redondo Beach. Taking four breaths is when divers start to push it, he said.

“On the way up if you stay too long and push the limit you get a build up of carbon dioxide,” Vanore said. “If you continue to hold your breath that triggers your body to go to sleep. The problem is when you pass out underwater you’re passing out underwater. If she’s weighted properly and she comes to the surface she’ll breathe. If you have a buddy with you and he brings you to the surface you’re not going to drown right away.”

Many free-divers take the snorkel out of their mouths so that if they do pass out they don’t take in water. Also being weighted properly is important, Vanore said.

“With a wetsuit on, you should be weighted so you can just barely float on the surface comfortably. You shouldn’t have to fight to stay on the surface,” he said. “You should be able to relax without sinking.”

Another possibility is that she injured herself getting into or out of the water against the rocks, which could have caused her to drown. Dennert said he knows a diver who broke ribs getting out of the water there.

“The bottom line is you don’t want to dive alone,” Dennert said.

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