23-year-old called mom for ride then vanished in 2012, CA cops say. Remains now ID’d
More than a decade after a man vanished after calling his mother to ask for a ride, his remains have been found, California authorities said.
Skeletal remains found in Redding on May 19 have been identified as Courtney Nathan Jones-Botta, who was reported missing in 2012, Lt. Tyler Thompson, Shasta County’s chief deputy coroner, said in an Aug. 22 news release.
On Aug. 16, 2012, Jones-Botta, 23, called his mother, asking for a ride from a Redding home, the Redding police said in a 2019 Facebook post.
When his mother arrived about 20 minutes later, she couldn’t find Jones-Botta and reported him missing, police said.
Police said they searched extensively in Redding and Shasta County for “any signs of Jones-Botta,” according to an Aug. 22 Facebook post. Detectives also interviewed more than 60 people.
Still, police said there were no “viable leads,” and the case went cold.
On the anniversary of his disappearance in 2019, Jones-Botta’s mother wrote in a Facebook post that she could never fully prepare herself for such an anniversary.
“There is nothing easy about losing a child and time doesn’t heal all wounds as they say,” she wrote. “Crazy thing is that I have forced my mind, body, and heart to deal with the daily pain of losing my child. There isn’t anything easy about it, it’s just something I’m forced to do.”
Police said they are continuing to investigate Jones-Botta’s case with the county sheriff’s office.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Redding police at 530-225-4214.
Redding is about 160 miles northwest of Sacramento.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 9:33 AM with the headline "23-year-old called mom for ride then vanished in 2012, CA cops say. Remains now ID’d."
