Missing Santa Rosa girl, 17, found safe

A 17-year-old Santa Rosa girl who was reported missing by her family Sunday after disappearing Friday night, has been found safe, according to the police.

The girl, Elysa Muniz, was reportedly in Berkeley and contacted someone in her family to pick her up there. She was being driven back home by her aunt late Monday night, said Santa Rosa Sgt. Terry Anderson.

Police did not give details as to why the Analy High School student was in Berkeley, how she got there, or why she didn't communicate with anyone in her family over the weekend or today.

During the day on Monday, police said Muniz posted photos of herself on her Facebook page but they were unable to confirm if she posted them there herself.

Her family reported her missing about 2 p.m. Sunday when she didn't return after leaving her home on the 1700 block of Fenwick Drive on Friday around 8 p.m.

They discovered her missing at around 9 a.m. the next morning. Her wallet, cell phone, money and identification were all still at home.

It appears she communicated with a high school-age friend by text at around midnight Friday, said Anderson. He said the texts were mundane, just a "run-of-the-mill conversation between two people who know each other."

Muniz, who is set to graduate later this month, is extremely introverted, said her mother, Erin Gomez. Initially, the family said they suspected foul play but declined to explain why, saying only, "It's unlike her to draw attention to herself."

Police had not ruled out the possibility that Muniz left home on her own, Anderson said, but because of what the family told police, officers had been investigating the case as a missing person with suspicious circumstances, Anderson said.

But during the day when her photos began appearing on Facebook, police reached out to her friends to get Muniz to call them or her family. Apparently, she did.

Muniz grew up in both Sebastopol and Santa Rosa. She's "beautifully artistic and talented," her mother said, adding that she loves to sketch.

You can reach Staff Writer Jamie Hansen at 521-5205 or jamie.hansen@pressdemocrat.com.