Crime & Safety

Authorities Change Focus of Search for Missing Teens

Police have called off a search at nearby Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks.

As of about 6 p.m. Thursday, the search for two missing teens was going strong at Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, according to a statement issued by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, but as the night wore on, authorities called off the search and are trying other approaches to locate the pair.

Police began searching the park at the west end of Avenida De Los Arboles after K-9 units tracked the teens there, the Sheriff's Department said. Investigators, search and rescue personnel and the Sheriff's aviation unit as well as rangers from the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and the Thousand Oaks Disaster Assistance Response Team helped in looking for the teens.

But after searching the park all day, police are now turning to relatives and friends plus social media and other leads to help find Nicholas Marino, 13, and Kaylee Rebert, 14, according to a report by the Ventura County Star.

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The Sheriff's department consider the teens at risk and "possibly suicidal based on information gathered during the investigation," the Sheriff's statement said.

"They apparently left some notes," Sheriff's Capt. Luis Obregon told television station KTLA.

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The station went on to report deputies are investigating the possibility friends may be harboring the teens and police are monitoring possible transportation options they might use.

The teens, who are boyfriend and girlfriend, were first noticed missing early Thursday morning.

Marino's family reported him missing at 1 a.m. In searching for him, deputies went to Robert's home and discovered she was also missing.

The Sheriff's department requests anyone with information about the missing teens to call investigators at 805-494-8201.


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