Missing woman’s mom travels to Los Angeles seeking answers
ROYAL PALM BEACH — Lynda Santamaria walked in her missing daughter’s footsteps last week along the streets and beaches of Los Angeles.
Nearly six months after Leah Rose Altmann disappeared, Santamaria traveled there from her home in Royal Palm Beach in search of answers. She spent five days there, meeting with city detectives and visiting various places where Altmann, 27, and a graduate of G-Star School of the Arts, either worked, lived or visited.
“My favorite was a hostel she stayed at,” Santamaria recalled Thursday from her home in Royal Palm Beach. “Not only did they remember her, they said she was so mature and cheerful . ... They gave me so many descriptions that I know of Leah. It meant so much to hear it.”
Los Angeles police said this week that the department’s missing persons unit still is investigating Altmann’s case and that it wants to hear from anyone with information on her whereabouts.
Altmann, who grew up in Royal Palm Beach, was last seen Aug. 28 and reported missing Nov. 13. She was last seen in the 1100 block of 25th Street, south of downtown Los Angeles, as she left her apartment carrying a small black backpack. She is 4 feet 9 inches and about 90 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
After graduating from Florida International University, Altmann moved to California and had been living in the Los Angeles area for about two years, doing audiovisual work for TV shows, including a gig for the Food Network’s Guy Fieri. She learned many of those skills working in the technical aspects of G-Star’s film and music productions, school officials said.
Altmann also played bass and keyboards in a metal band called Seven Factor. The band has appealed through social media for clues on her disappearance.
Santamaria said Thursday that because of the length of time her daughter has gone missing, the case is considered “critical, high-risk.” While she was in Los Angeles, detectives collected a sample of Santamaria’s DNA.
Authorities in December said that Altmann may have been a victim of human trafficking. Santamaria said there has been no activity on her credit cards and few leads regarding where she may have gone.
In the months since, Santamaria has helped organize a Facebook page, “Finding Leah Rose Altmann,” to spread information on social media about her daughter’s disappearance.
“This page is dedicated to give Leah the dignity she deserves until she has her own her voice,” Santamaria said.
A Twitter campaign last month — under the hashtags of #LeahRoseAltmann, #FindLeahRose and #FindingLeahRose — also raised awareness of the case.
Santamaria said she is less hopeful on some days than others that her daughter will be found, but she intends to keep looking.
“A mother can never stop,” she said. “I just can’t stop.”
Anyone with information regarding Altmann’s disappearance is asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. Calls made after regular business hours and on weekends should go to 877-527-3427.