A California woman who disappeared during a cross country trip late last month is seen on new body camera footage talking to an Arizona police officer not far from where her white Ford Escape was found abandoned with two flat tires a week later.
On September 28, Chelsea Grimm, 32, tells the Williams police officer — who was checking out a call about suspicious activity near a cemetery — that’s she’s “okay,” although she appears upset, KTVK reported.
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,” she says.
She tells the officer she doesn’t have a hotel room and was planning to camp, and he tells her about a truck stop nearby where she can sleep in her car undisturbed. “Awesome,” she responds. “Love that.”
As CrimeOnline reported, Grimm set out from her San Diego home with her pet bearded dragon in late September, planning to drive to Connecticut for a family wedding and to visit her parents. But she called them on September 27, saying she wasn’t going to make the wedding and planned to camp for a few days in Arizona instead.
When her parents didn’t hear from her for several days, they called the Phoenix Police Department and reported her missing. The next day, a hunter found her abandoned vehicle on a forest service road near Ashfork in the Kaibab National Forest. She and the bearded dragon were gone, along with a sleeping bag, some clothes, and her wallet. Her camera was in the car, which was locked.
Police had previously said September 28 was the last time Grimm was seen, but new information indicated a woodcutter ran across her camping near Ashfork and spoke with her. She did not appear to be in distress.
Investigators also say she met with a friend in Phoenix on September 27, but cancelled plans for a meal that day. There has been no activity on her phone or bank cards.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said they don’t suspect foul play at this point, but Grimm’s whereabouts are a mystery, and they’re searching for more information.
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[Featured image: Williams Police Department via KTVK]
