TADP EP 26 – True Crime – Bryce Laspisa Missing

On August 30, 2013, Bryce David Laspisa, a young 19-year-old man from Castiac California, went missing near Castiac Lake. It was discovered that Bryce drove away from Sierra College, where he had recently begun his sophomore year, with the apparent intention to return to his parents’ home in Laguna Niguel. Missing any hard evidence, Bryce’s disappearance has been surrounded mysteries and some painfully unanswered questions.

Bryce is described as being 5 foot 11 inches tall and weighing approximately 170lbs. He is a Caucasian male with red hair and green eyes. He has a tatoo of a taurus bull head and his birthday in Roman numerals on his upper left arm. At the time of his disappearance Bryce was wearing a blue and white checkered Tshirt, white cargo shorts and size 12 red and white Nike shoes. Bryce was originally from Illinois and graduated from Naperville High School in 2012.

After Bryce spent the summer with his parents, he appeared to be eager to start his sophmore year at Sierra College. Bryce’s friends however reported that he was drinking heavily and using prescription drugs during his first two weeks back on campus.

He had also abruptly ended the relationship with his girlfriend and was under the influence the night he left campus. Also troubling was that Bryce had reportedly gaven away some of his possessions, including diamond earrings from his mother, before going on the road.

The drive to his parent’s house should have only taken Bryce a few hours, however he was on the road for over 20 hours. During this timeframe, Bryce had his car serviced, he talked to his parents on several occasions and was even questioned by police. Everyone that spoke with Bryce, in-person and on the phone, insists that he was lucid during this strange timeframe.

Police found it strange that Bryce was reluctant to call his parents on the phone and Bryce even told his mother not to come pick him up. Bryce mentioned to his parents he had something important that he wanted to discuss with them, however refused to give more information. What is it that Bryce wanted to talk his parents about and why was he reluctant to get home? These questions are central to the investigation for the police and also for the private investigator who have been working with Bryce’s parents.

When taken into consideration his recent substance abuse and reported erratic behavior, many are questioning if Bryce had a psychotic break. Is Bryce currently living off the grid and not in the right state of mind to get in contact with his family?

Bryce’s 2003 beige Toyota Highlander was found overturned. His laptop and wallet were still inside the vehicle. The back window of the vehicle had been removed and Bryce’s blood was located on the seats. Police are question if Bryce drove off the round intentionally, heading down a steep and rocky terrain towards the nearby Castiac Lake.

Despite numerous searches following the troubling accident, investigators never located Bryce’s body and dogs tracked his scent from the crash site to a nearby gas station. Could Bryce have sustained a head injury or concussion and just wandered off? Regardless of Bryce’s mental state, police working the investigation do not believe that he met his demise at Castiac Lake.

Next I want to discuss some of the search efforts in the days in weeks following his disappearance.

UPDATE Sept 4 2013 – Police were called to a brush fire around 6 a.m. Wednesday about three miles north of Lake Hughes Road by a cyclist. When fire crews arrived, they instead found a burning body. There is some speculation the body could be Bryce but the medical examiner will need to determine the identity. (Body later identified as Lamondre Deon Miles).

UPDATE on Sept 11 2013 – “They’ve been searching different areas, they’ve been searching by horseback,” Jones said.