Los Angeles County officials hoping deer will be found.

Sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning, a female deer vanished from William S. Hart Park in Newhall.

The 12 year-old California mule deer, named Jane Doe, was not in her pen when Los Angeles County workers checked this morning, and the fencing around her dwelling had been cut open.

Jane had been a resident at the park since 1997, after she was found as a youngling wandering the streets of Sylmar.

Norm Phillips, Supervisor of Hart Park, said that Jane was very close to the hearts of the park staff, and he hoped that the public would be able to help get her back safely.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is leading an investigation into the disappearance, although at this time it has not officially been determined if the deer was stolen or just wandered away. The question of the cut in the fence has yet to be answered. Additionally, Jane shares her pen with another deer, which remained.

Jane is well acclimated to humans, having been bottle-fed as a youngling and around people most of her life. If she is wandering around somewhere, she may approach people. However, Phillips cautions that deer are still wild animals, and they can be dangerous.

If you have any information with regard to the whereabouts of Jane Doe, Phillips encourages calling the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station at 255-1121, or the County’s 24-hour Animal Control line at (562) 940-6898.