Thirteen years have passed since the disappearance of Bryce Laspisa after his crashed car was discovered abandoned near Castaic Lake.

“We love you, Bryce, and you are never forgotten,” read a Saturday morning statement from Laspisa’s family, marking the anniversary of his disappearance.

In the early morning hours of August 30, 2013, Laspisa disappeared at Castaic Lake while making his way home to Orange County from Sierra College near Sacramento, where he was attending school. A former roommate of Laspisa told KCRA that the student was a heavy partier and had been evicted from their dorm the previous year.

According to KBAK in Bakersfield, the then-19-year-old set out on the hours-long trip to his parents’ home late on August 28, following his breakup with his girlfriend.

When Laspisa failed to arrive at his parents’ home, they reported him missing on August 29. Around 8 pm that evening, law enforcement located Laspisa’s vehicle parked along a roadside near Bakersfield and searched it. Authorities did not find any drugs or alcohol, according to KBAK.

At approximately 2 am on August 30, Laspisa had his final phone conversation with his parents. He told them he was traveling on the 5 Freeway but had not seen any signs that showed precisely where he was.

“He took a detour at 2:08 A.M. and got off the I-5 in a suburban area and was going to sleep in his car,” his mother told KHTS previously. “I told him to call me when he got up the next morning.”

Laspisa never called his mother the next morning. The conversation was the final known contact anyone had with him.

NCMEC

Between 4:20 A.M. and 5:15 A.M. on August 30, law enforcement officers who were taking part in a training exercise discovered Laspisa’s vehicle at Castaic Lake.

The vehicle had gone 15 feet down a ravine before coming to rest on its passenger side near Main Ramp Road, only a few hundred feet from Lake Hughes Road. His cell phone, wallet, laptop, and clothing were still inside the vehicle, but Laspisa himself was missing.

According to KCRA in Sacramento, Laspisa’s family believed the teenager had used a tool to break the vehicle’s rear window and then climbed out through it.

A month after Laspisa’s disappearance, his family was horrified when a burned body was discovered near Castaic Lake. Authorities later determined that the remains belonged to a Los Angeles homicide victim, according to KBAK.

More recently, the Find Bryce Laspisa Facebook page reported an alleged sighting of Laspisa in Missoula, Montana.

Detective Ethan Smith investigated the reported sighting. On April 25, 2022, he located the man, whom he said could have been Bryce’s twin, according to the Facebook page.

“I was able to verify his identity, and it’s not Bryce,” Smith said in an update. “​​I believe the photo being circulated of the young man on the bike in Missoula who looks like Bryce is this guy, but sadly, it isn’t Bryce. I was astounded by the resemblance between the two.”

There have been no additional leads or developments publicly announced in Laspisa’s case.

Anyone with any information from 2013 or sooner that could help investigators locate Bryce can call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500 or contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at  (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use a smartphone and download the Crime Stoppers Tips Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or go to the website.

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