Hours after search efforts were called off for a woman possibly kidnapped or assaulted near the El Sereno Recreation Center Tuesday, police released composite sketches, pictured below, of the possible victim and her alleged attacker.
The victim was described as a 14- to 16-year-old Latina girl with a dark complexion and short or pulled back hair. She's about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds, according to police.
The attacker was described as a Latino man, between 18 and 20 years old, about 6 feet tall with a slender build and medium complexion.
The search for the girl began Monday evening after witnesses heard screams and saw a young woman dragged up a hill. LAPD was called at about 8 p.m. Monday to 4721 Klamath Street (map). Leggings and a pair of tennis shoes were found near the scene, police said.
On Tuesday afternoon, LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck said the search, which covered more than 450 acres, had ended.
Police found "no evidence of the female who was kidnapped, so that is good news," Beck said. "The last thing we want to do is find remains in this remote location."
The case is now being handled as a missing persons investigation, Beck said.
On Monday evening, at least half a dozen officers used flashlights to search a darkened hillside near the rec center. LAPD officials said officers developed a large perimeter.
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Dogs and helicopters were used to search the recreation area, about five miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Horse-mounted units arrived on the hillside Tuesday morning.
Four witnesses described a similar scene, Neiman said.
"We believe that this really did occur -- this is not a hoax or some incident that people misunderstood," said Lt. Andy Neiman.
Witnesses told officers they saw the attacker strike the woman several times. Many articles of the victim's clothing were recovered in the recreation area, Neiman said.
"We have, at least, a kidnapping, if not a very serious domestic incident," Neiman added.
No reports of a missing girl matching the description have been received by the Hollenbeck Division, Nieman said.
