Missing San Diego woman's last contacts included chat with police officer, woodcutter before disappearance
Chelsea Grimm had an emotional interaction with an Arizona police officer and a brief exchange with a woodcutter before going missing two days later. Now, law enforcement is searching for her.
A missing woman canceled dinner plans with a friend, had an emotional chat with a police officer, and a brief exchange with a woodcutter, who found her in a remote area of Ashfork, Arizona.
It all happened in a short span between Sept. 27-30, which was the last time Chelsea Grimm, 32, was seen alive.
Hunters found her abandoned white Ford Escape on Oct. 5 in the Kaibab National Forest, according to Coconino County Sheriff's Office, which said she was officially reported missing Oct. 3.
Law enforcement, specifically the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, has been frantically looking for Grimm, which includes several social media updates that include photos with what she was last seen wearing, a distinctive tattoo on her left arm, her pet bearded dragon and white Escape.
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Grimm was on a cross-country trip from her home in San Diego to Connecticut for a family wedding and she planned to camp out in Arizona on the way, police said.
On Sept. 28, a police officer responded to a call about a suspicious activity near a cemetery in Williams, Arizona, about 18 miles from where her car was spotted in Ash Fork.
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"How are you doing?" the officer asks Grimm in the body camera footage, which was obtained and reported by azfamily.com.
"I’m okay. How are you?" Grimm responded, according to the local news outlet, which reported that Grimm "appears upset" in the bodycam footage.
She reportedly told the officer that she was working on a photography project.
"I just was doing a photo shoot of the lost soldiers and got a little emotional, so I was crying before I got back on the road," Grimm told the cop in the bodycam, according to azfamily.com.
She mentioned that she didn't have a hotel because she planned on camping out for the night.
The officer pointed out a nearby gas station area where she can sleep without being bothered, according to azfamily.com.
"Awesome. Yeah, love that," Grimm replied. That was last recorded sighting of Grimm.
Police said she had a brief exchange with a woodcutter, who found her camping in a remote area of Ash Fork on Sept. 30. Grimm told the worker she was OK.
Her family reported her missing Oct. 4. The next day, the hunter reported a suspicious, abandoned vehicle that police learned belonged to Grimm.
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The car was locked, her belongings were still inside and her bearded dragon named "Roz" or "Roxy" are also missing, according to police.
The sheriff's office didn't immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment Saturday night.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking if anyone remembers seeing or having any contact with Chelsea or her bearded dragon, to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Criminal Investigations Divisions responded to the area immediately and began search efforts.
"We are trying our best to hold onto positive outcome scenarios and put our faith in the authorities," her father, Stephen Grimm, told azfamily.com
The investigation is ongoing at this time.
