Sierra LaMar Searchers Cut Back to Saturdays Only

For nearly six months volunteers have been searching twice a week
for missing Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar, but starting next week search
efforts will be reigned back to only Saturdays, according to Marc Klaas, the
head of search organization KlaasKids Foundation.

Sierra was last seen on March 16 and never arrived to her Morgan
Hill high school that day.

Since her disappearance, KlaasKids has organized search efforts on Wednesday and Saturdays, but according to Klaas, "Search planners are having an increasingly difficult time coming up with viable search locations."

Instead of organizing volunteers to comb through areas around
Santa Clara County mid-week, planners will spend the day scouting and
researching good locations to hold searches on Saturdays, Klaas said.

"Nothing is being scaled back," he said, "But we are suspending
Wednesday searches so we can focus more on Saturday searches."

Klaas said turnout has been "incredible" even months after
extensive searches. Nearly 40 volunteers consistently show up to the search
center set up at Burnett Elementary School at 85 Tilton Ave. in Morgan Hill.

Klaas, whose own daughter, Polly, was found murdered in a search
effort months after she went missing in Petaluma in 1993, has since helped
with various kidnapped children efforts, and said he has never seen a case
maintain such a strong bi-weekly volunteer effort.

He emphasized the schedule change "has much less to do with the enthusiasm of volunteers," many of which he said were upset to hear about the end of Wednesday searches.

—Bay City News