Three years after the disappearance of Bay Area teen Sierra LaMar, her family is suspending their weekly search for the girl's remains, saying that “we’ve run out of viable search areas."

As you might recall, LaMar was last seen at her mother's house in unincorporated Morgan Hill on March 16, 2012. That morning, she headed to the intersection of Dougherty and Palm Avenues, west of Monterey Highway to catch her school bus, but never arrived at school.

Her purse and cell phone were discovered about three-quarters of a mile from her house the day after she disappeared, leading officials to believe that she was abducted, as opposed to a runaway.

Two months after her disappearance, Antolin Garcia-Torres, now aged 23, was arrested and charged with LaMar's kidnapping and murder after police found LaMar's DNA in his Volkswagen Jetta and his DNA on clothes belonging to LaMar discovered near the bus stop.

Police reportedly shadowed Garcia-Torres for weeks before they arrested him in hopes that he'd lead them to LaMar's body. Authorities say that they believe that Garcia-Torres, who did not know LaMar, was "driving a route he usually took on his way to work, saw Sierra from his Volkswagen Jetta, snatched her from a bus stop and killed her," the Chron reports.

According to KRON4, unsealed documents from Garcia-Torres' indictment also "indicate LaMar’s hair was found on a rope in the trunk of Garcia-Torres’ car."

Since her disappearance, Steve LaMar, Sierra’s father, has been leading Saturday searches of "waterways, lakes, trails and rugged country throughout the region," but hasn't been able to find her remains.

“We’ve run out of viable search areas,” he told news outlets, and though “If we get any information or tips, it’ll be more of an on-call kind of search mode,” the last weekly search will be Saturday, March 14.

Of course, without LaMar's body, the prosecution will have an uphill battle to convict Garcia-Torres of murder. But it's not impossible — consider the case of Hans Reiser, the Oakland man accused of killing his wife after her September, 2006 disappearance. Reiser was successfully convicted of first-degree murder, despite his repeated assertions that he was innocent throughout the case. His lawyer then arranged a do-over, and he was allowed to plead guilty to second-degree murder if he led authorities to her body, which he eventually did.

Could Santa Clara County prosecutors be similarly successful? Legal analyst Steve Clark, who spoke with the Chron, isn't so sure. "The defense could argue that after three years without a body, Sierra could simply be a missing person and not a homicide victim," they report.

“That’s going to play into their missing-person scenario, that the reason her body hasn’t been found is because there’s no body to find,” Clark says.

Garcia-Torres is due back in court on April 8, but a date for his trial has yet to be set. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office, they will be seeking the death penalty in this case.

Previously: Morgan Hill Teen Girl Still Missing; Sex Offender Father Not A Suspect
21-Year-Old Man Arrested in Disappearance of Morgan Hill Teen Sierra LaMar

Attention, SFist commenters who eagerly debated the ethnic heritage and origins of a driver who flipped his car around to shoot a pedestrian that he nearly hit: today the San Francisco Police Department has released a sketch and description of the suspect. Here's hoping that this new information will spur not just internet bickering, but the successful apprehension of this dangerous person.

As previously reported, at 2:15 p.m. on August 31, a driver nearly struck a pedestrian as he crossed Golden Gate near Broderick. According to this morning's account from SFPD spokesperson Officer Albie Esparza, the pedestrian was in the crosswalk at the time of the near-miss, but witnesses at the time of the incident said that the pedestrian was crossing closer to the middle of the street.

In any case, Esparza says that "a verbal altercation ensued between the two parties." Witnesses confirm this, saying that the pedestrian yelled "what are you trying to do, kill me?" after he had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck.

According to Esparza, the suspect then "pulled into a driveway down the street, backed up slightly, then shot the victim with a handgun from 30 to 50 feet away. The suspect drove closer to the victim and shot the victim again before fleeing."

The victim, who was critically injured in the shooting, is recovering and expected to survive, Esparza says.

According to SFPD, the driver was in "a newer Honda Civic or Accord, two door, polished metallic gray in color." They sent along these two photos (not of the actual car) for reference:

SFPD has also provided a detailed description of the suspect, as well as the sketch you can see above. According to Esparza, the man they're seeking in the shooting is an Asian male with "dark or tanned skin" in his 20s, who speaks English with an American accent.

"He was last seen wearing a backwards baseball cap, possibly red, with a flat brim," Esparza says.

Esparza emphasizes that this man is "considered armed and dangerous," which you might have guessed from the way he gunned down a pedestrian who yelled at him.

As always, anyone with information on the shooting or the suspect is urged to contact San Francisco Police anonymously at 415-575-4444 or text-a-tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.

After a nearly three-month-long search, SFPD announced that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the June killing of 28-year-old cosmetologist Steven "Eriq" Escalon. 45-year-old James Rickleffs was arrested on Sunday under suspicion of murder. According to Lt. Hector Sainez, who heads up the SFPD's homicide unit, Rickleffs and Escalon met at a Castro bar early on the morning of June 12, and shared a taxi back to Escalon's home in Diamond Heights. 28-year-old Escalon was found dead, bound and gagged, around 6 p.m. that evening. Police also discovered that electronics and financial documents had been taken from his home.

Multiple witnesses gave a description of the man they identified leaving the bar with Escalon, and one identified him as Rickleffs. Items belonging to Escalon were also found in Rickleffs' possession, and police allege that they have forensic evidence linking him to the crime as well. Police chief Greg Suhr also noted the resemblance between Rickleffs and the composite sketch released by SFPD in early August. According to Suhr, the lack of homicides in SF in August allowed investigators to spend more time looking into the case, ultimately leading to an arrest.

Police are looking for anyone who may have information on Rickleffs and his whereabouts in recent months. Tipsters can phone Sgt. Scott Warnke or Inspectors Daniel Dedet, Kevin Jones or Robert Valverde at the homicide unit at (415) 553-1145. Anonymous tips can also be left at (415) 575-4444 or sent by text message to TIP411.

Previously:
Have You Seen This Guy? Wanted In Connection With Diamond Heights Homicide
Diamond Heights Homicide
[BCN/Appeal]

Steven "Eriq" Escalon, 28, has been identified as the victim in San Francisco's 30th homicide of the year, which occurred back in June. Escalon's body was found bound and gagged at his apartment on Diamond Heights Boulevard near Portola Avenue around 6 p.m. and is believed to have been killed inside his home. Today, SFPD released this sketch of their current person of interest in this case, a man last seen getting in to a cab with Escalon in front of 440 Castro Street around 1:30 a.m. on the morning the body was found.

SFPD describes the person of interest as "a white or Hispanic man between 25 and 30 years old who has a slim build and is between 5 feet 8 and 5 feet 10 inches tall." At the time he was seen wearing a black t-shirt. Earlier, police were looking for additional information about a man seen in the neighborhood carrying a flat-screen TV, a computer and a game console on the day of Escalon's death.

Anyone who may be able to identify this man or has information about the case is encouraged to call Sgt. Scott Warnke or Inspectors Daniel Dedet, Kevin Jones or Robert Valverde with the department's homicide unit at (415) 553-1145. Anonymous tips can also be left at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

Previously: Diamond Heights Homicide
[BCN/Appeal]

A former Marine and current Cal Fire firefighter who was intentionally hit by a car at the Shell gas station parking lot at Geary Boulevard on Thanksgiving morning remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Prior to the attack, and in classic trashed trash mode, the two got into a fight at a Jack in the Box at 11th Avenue and Geary Boulevard on Thursday, according to police.

Both dudes were separated. The victim left the restaurant. The suspect, still heated from the fast food showdown and his own stupidity, then climbed into his mind-numbingly tacky black Mazda CX-type SUV, a vehicle sporting tragic 12-spoke sport rims, and followed the victim to the gas station. He then plowed his SUV into the victim. Vile.

Police have released video of the suspect.

According to BCN (via SF Appeal), "the suspect was described as a mixed-race or Latino man, between 18 and 24 years old, with short black hair and a manicured beard."

Tips about the suspect's whereabouts can be directed to the SFPD anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444 or text-a-tip at TIP411.

Police are searching for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman inside a vacant classroom at Skyline College on Tuesday night. "The female victim told police she was alone in a classroom when a man entered the room and sexually assaulted her," reports SF Examiner. "The suspect fled the room following the assault."

The attack occurred at around 8:30 p.m.

The stab-worthy suspect is described as a white man, around 5'11", between 25 and 30 years old with an "athletic build and a tattoo or scar on his neck."

Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call San Bruno Police Department at 650-616-7100.

Today, police released this sketch of the person they believe is connected to the fatal stabbing of a teenage boy in San Francisco's Ingleside neighborhood last week.

If you recall, "Victor Zheng, 16, was stabbed at about 10:55 p.m. on Feb. 7 near the intersection of Capitol and De Montfort avenues, just off of Ocean Avenue."

SFPD are on the hunt for "an Asian man, 18 to 19 years old, 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11, weighing 160 to 180 pounds, with dark hair and eyes." Also, he might "have a mole on his upper right cheek." Information can be directed to homicide investigators at 415-553-1145 or an anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444.

[SFGate]
[SF Appeal]

UPDATE: The suspect has been arrested.

SFPD are looking for a person of interest in the murder of Kathleen Horan in her Russian Hill apartment last Friday night. The police believe that the suspect posed as a utility worker to gain access into the building.

The suspect is described as a white man in his late 20s to early 40s, between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a hard hat, utility vest, and utility belt and carrying a tool box. The suspect had knocked on several doors saying he was checking for a gas leak.

He was spotted in the area at about 6:15 p.m. on Friday, and Horan was believed to be killed at about 7 p.m. SFPD says the suspect's left hand might be injured.

Kathleen Horan, who owned a jewelry business called Sorelle Bionde, was an avid traveler and fashion writer, and had just returned from a trip to Buenos Aires with her mother the night she was killed.

Over the weekend, Contra Costa County deputies arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman in Walnut Creek. The suspect, William Yokeum, 51, lived in the same Park Regency apartment complex where the September 16th sexual assault occurred and investigators determined he and the victim knew each other prior to the incident. Although the Deputy DA says DNA evidence connects him to the crimes, Yokeum claims he is not guilty of the eight felony charges he faces after yesterday's arraignment.

While not suspected of any of the other recent incidents at the Park Regency complex, Yokeum's current neighbors at the county jail haven't exactly taken a liking to the Walnut Creep. He is currently in protective custody after he has "already been punched in the face once."

[BCN/ABC7]

The Costa County Sheriff’s Office released this sketch today of the man suspected of trying to sexually assault a 43-year-old woman on Saturday at the Park Regency apartments in Walnut Creek. (Four other women have been attacked at the same complex since June. However, 22-year-old Berkeley resident Antonio Andre Mouton has been charged in connection with three of earlier attacks.)

According to The Chronicle, "the attacker was described as white, about 5-foot-8 with a medium build, brown hair and short facial hair. He was wearing black jeans, a black T-shirt and a black baseball cap."

Also, BCN (via CBS 5) says that :"a spokesman with the sheriff’s office said Monday that it is not yet clear whether this suspect is responsible for a Sept. 16 attack at the complex in which a 27-year-old resident was raped inside her apartment."

Information about the latest case should be directed to the sheriff’s office at 925-646-2620.

Ryan Caskey, 21, a politics major and cadet in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at University of San Francisco, stands accused of raping four students over the last few months. If you recall, Caskey was arrested Thursday on the USF campus. He now sits in county jail facing four felony counts of rape and assault. He has also been suspended from school.

According to San Francisco police spokesman Wilfred Williams, the victims, who were given counseling, "were all acquaintances of Caskey's." CBS 5 reports that police are asking anyone else who might have been a victim of the suspect to contact SFPD's Sex Crimes Detail at 415-553-1361.

A standoff is underway right now in Oakland. The fuzz claims that a robbery suspect is holed up inside studio apartment, near 32nd and Telegraph Avenue. Due to the nail-biting action, police have closed Telegraph Avenue between 30th and 34th.

The area--intriguingly known as "Pill Hill," but only because of neighboring medical offices--has been abuzz with activity since this morning. It's not yet known whether or not anyone else is inside the apartment with the suspect. Indigokare, a commenter on ABC7 and most likely a Pill Hill resident, claims that he or she is "pretty much trapped in my apartment at the moment." Don't hold back there, indigokare.

Read more about the standoff here.

Image credit: CBS5