Teen vanished on walk home after car got stuck in mud. Body found, California cops say
A teen was found dead in a California riverbed more than a week after he was reported missing, police said.
Alberto Cabrera Corona, 14, was with two other teens when their got stuck in the mud Jan. 28, the Lompoc Police Department said in a Feb. 2 Facebook post.
They left the car on the “far west end of town” and started walking back to the city, according to police.
Alberto argued with the others about which way to go and separated from the group, police said. He traveled north while the other two went east and made it back to the city.
His parents last saw him Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. when he left their home, police said. Alberto’s father reported him missing the next day.
Despite detectives conducting interviews and following leads, Alberto was not found, according to police.
A helicopter crew flew over the area Feb. 1, but rescuers didn’t find him, police said.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue, along with three dogs and a helicopter crew, also searched the area the following day, police said. They did not find Alberto or any indications of foul play.
Three days later, police said kayakers found a body in the riverbed of the Santa Ynez River, west of the city.
Multiple agencies responded and helped recover the body, which the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Office confirmed to be Alberto, police said.
“He was only 14 years old and didn’t get to live his life,” Alberto’s mother wrote on a GoFundMe for the family.
Police said they do not suspect foul play.
Lompoc is about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Teen vanished on walk home after car got stuck in mud. Body found, California cops say."
