In the early hours of August 30, 2013, 19-year-old Bryce Laspisa was travelling to his parents’ house in Laguna Niguel, California. He told his parents that he was pulling off to the side of Interstate 5 in the Sierra Pelona Mountains when they last heard from him at around 2:00 AM. After Bryce went away for an extended period of time, a difficult search was launched in an effort to locate him. The documentary “Disappeared: Journey to Nowhere” on Investigation Discovery seeks to ascertain Bryce’s fate. Below is what we currently know in case you’re interested in learning the same.
What Happened to Bryce Laspisa?
On April 30, 1994, Bryce Laspisa was born in Springfield, Illinois, to Karen and Michael Laspisa. He was an only child who made friends easily thanks to his endearing personality. He relocated to California with his parents in 2012 after finishing high school at Naperville Central High School, which is located outside of Chicago. They moved to Laguna Niguel in Orange County, and Bryce started living alone 90 miles north in Chico. Since he was young, he showed artistic ability. He then enrolled at Sierra College to study graphic and industrial design.
Bryce had a fantastic first year, getting good grades and getting along well with his flatmate, Sean Dixon. Also, he started dating Kim Sly, a fellow student. Bryce was ready to start learning again when school resumed after the 2013 summer break, according to his friends and family. Two weeks before the start of the semester, he made his way back to Sierra, full of energy and enthusiasm. He returned to his friends and girlfriend, went to his classes, and maintained touch with his parents.
Bryce’s life was not as ideal as it appeared, though, as Sean and Kim quickly began to notice small changes in his personality. His behaviour was becoming increasingly unpredictable, reclusive, and melancholy. He admitted to taking Vyvanse, an ADHD medication made from an amphetamine derivative, according to Kim. Though Bryce did not have the condition, his drug usage resulted in psychosis, sadness, and mania. Sean went on to describe how his flatmate was developing a drinking problem over time.
The show claimed that Bryce was binge drinking on the weekends. Kim continued by saying that her partner had admitted to consuming drugs to stay up late playing video games. She was worried about his condition, but Bryce brushed it off. His Vyvanse misuse was disturbingly regular over the first two weeks of the autumn semester, according to his acquaintances. Bryce broke up with Kim on August 27 by emailing her that she would be “better off without him.” He also gave Sean his Xbox and a set of diamond earrings that belonged to his mother.
On August 28, Sean called Karen, the mother of his buddy and flatmate Bryce, and voiced his worries about his friend’s welfare. In a late-night phone call, Bryce also claimed to be at Kim’s house and that Kim had stolen his car keys because she was worried he wasn’t able to drive. On the phone, Karen persuaded Kim to return his keys and gave her son the get-ahead for him to go home and to bed. Even though she promised to fly up to the north to check on him, Bryce persuaded her not to.
Bryce allegedly promised Karen that he would call her the next day. He said, “I have a lot to talk to you about,” she recalled. At after 11:30 p.m., Bryce drove away from Kim’s apartment in his 2003 Toyota Highlander. At one in the morning on August 29, he called Karen once more. She originally believed he was confirming after arriving home, but later phone records would reveal he was in a location nearly an hour’s drive south of Rocklin. When Bryce’s parents discovered he had utilised their insurance’s road assistance service at 11:00 AM, they became anxious ten hours later.
Is Bryce Laspisa Missing or Found? Is He Dead or Alive?
Sadly, Bryce Laspisa is still missing as of this writing. When the 19-year-old allegedly ran out of petrol at around 9:00 AM, Christian, the owner of Castro Tire and Gas in Buttonwillow, testified he had provided three gallons of petrol to the young man. He offered to go back to the location where he last saw Bryce when the Laspisas called. He discovered Bryce there when he arrived and asked him to speak to his anxious parents. Also, he told the parents where their son was. By 3:00 PM, Bryce departed on his three-hour journey home while Christian watched.
The Laspisas reported their kid missing to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department after waiting hours without hearing from him. The police discovered him a few miles away from where Christian last saw him after tracking down his cell phone location. According to the authorities, Bryce appeared amiable, sober, and drug- and alcohol-free. When they forced him to speak with his parents, the Laspisas learned with relief that their son had returned to I-5 and was travelling south.
When Michael called to say he was exhausted and had pulled off to the side of Interstate 5 in the Sierra Pelona Mountains to take a little nap, Karen last spoke to her son at 2:00 AM on 30 August. Hours later, though, California Highway Patrol officers discovered his abandoned vehicle close to Castaic Lake. Bryce’s phone, laptop and wallet were located inside the broken rear glass. As they looked at the security film, they saw that, contrary to what he had told his mother, he had actually pulled onto an access road.
When the police sent divers to check Castaic Lake, they discovered no sign of Bryce. In addition, the police deployed K-9s to track his smell, but the trail ended at a nearby truck stop when it crossed a bridge. Ultimately, on September 4, 2013, the police discovered burned remains close to Castaic Lake, and in 2017, they discovered a human skull next to Templin Highway. But, forensic analysis revealed that none belonged to Bryce. The investigation is still pending and the authorities have not located his body. Online sleuths and conspiracy theorists have developed a number of scenarios to account for his disappearance.
Some claim Bryce may have purposefully left his previous life and disappeared, while others assert he may have experienced a psychotic break as a result of drug usage. Some go so far as to propose the more sinister notion that he may have passed away on or around the night of August 30 and that the authorities have not yet found his body. Even so, the police have not discovered any leads or hints, and his parents continue to file missing person notices in the hopes of one day receiving justice.
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