The family of 22-year-old missing person Dane Elkins, a 23-time national champion racquetball player whose car was found abandoned in Castaic in December 2020, announced Monday that they had recently received word of a “credible sighting.”

According to his mother, Elkins interacted with two witnesses in Mojave, California near the intersection of the 14 Freeway and Mojave-Barstow Highway on Feb. 5, about 50 miles north of the Santa Clarita Valley.

“We had one of the worst weeks, it was his birthday (recently) and it was devastating to be without him, so to get this and have new information… It’s relieving but it’s a different kind of worry,” his mother, Deborah Elkins, said in a phone call with KHTS Monday.

The two women spoke with the man assumed to be Elkins and bought him lunch, during which he reportedly told them that he was traveling on foot northward, possibly to Portland. His mother mentioned that this destination made sense due to another potential sighting in Bakersfield that had been investigated previously.

“I’m so glad that he had the survival skills to make it through the winter, to make it to February, I’m very hopeful,” his mother said.  “I’m very grateful for the community support, there’s a sense of relief that he made it out of Castaic.”

Previously, Elkins had last been seen on Sunday, Dec. 20 at around 8:20 p.m. near the I-5 Freeway and Templin Highway. Officials later discovered his abandoned vehicle with his wallet and cellphone inside.

“This is the first credible sighting and it’s a relief,” Deborah Elkins said.

See Related: Search Continues For Missing Brentwood Man, Mother Continues To Seek Community Help

Photo courtesy of Elkins family.

An engineering student at U.C. Santa Cruz, and 23-time national champion racquetball player, Elkins is known to his friends and family as a loving, intelligent young man, and this behavior is incredibly out of the ordinary for him.

His family believes that Elkins’ mental health may have declined and developed paranoia due to pressures from school and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s out there, and he’s alive and he’s talking to people,” his mother said. “I think because the pandemic is opening up he’s getting more comfortable, and I think someone will spot him.”

A resident of Brentwood, Elkins is described as white, with brown hair and green eyes. He stands around 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 170 pounds, according to the missing person’s report. He may have facial hair.

Elkins was last officially seen in a blue jacket and black pants, and had left behind most of his personal effects in his abandoned vehicle, according to his mother.

At the time of the Feb. 5 sighting, the man assumed to be Elkins was wearing tan or khaki pants, a puffy hooded jacket, short boots, and had a beard.

Anyone who believes they have found Elkins is encouraged to surreptitiously take a photo of whomever they believe to be him and send it to searchingfordaneelkins@gmail.com, as it will allow the family to better sift through legitimate leads before passing them on to investigators.

“If anybody sees him, take a discrete picture, even from far away so we can see if it’s really him,” his mother said

Another way to help in the search is to raise awareness of social media by posting a copy of the flyer along with the hashtag #FindDaneElkins.

If you have seen or have any information regarding Dane Elkins’ whereabouts contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.

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