The final footage of a young photographer who vanished with her pet lizard in an Arizona forest after leaving her car there has been made public by the police.
The parents of 32-year-old Chelsea Grimm have hired a private investigator after, on October 5, hunters discovered their daughter’s white Ford Escape locked and with two flat tires near Ash Fork.
On September 24, she left her home in San Diego to travel to Connecticut for a wedding, with the intention of taking pictures of “lost and forgotten people” for an upcoming art project.
However, she had only traveled as far as Williams County, which is located south of the Grand Canyon, when on September 28, a police officer discovered her in need while she was parked close to a war memorial.
In their final recorded conversation, she said to him, “I was crying before I got back on the road because I was just doing a photo shoot of the lost soldiers and got a little emotional.”
“That would be my plan, I think, if it’s okay with you if I hang out here for another fifteen or twenty minutes and then head on the road.”
Her family was left in a state of desperation and confusion when, two days later, a woodcutter in the neighboring Kaibab National Forest was the last person to see her.
According to Chelsea’s father Stephen Grimm, “he thought she did not seem in distress or in need,” News Nation reported.
“He followed up to make sure she wasn’t in need of assistance, and she said she wasn’t, so he assumed she was okay.”
For the 2,800-mile cross-country journey, Chelsea had driven herself since she didn’t want to be apart from her cherished bearded dragon, Roxy.
When the policeman and his partner knocked on her car’s window to have a conversation, it was already dark.
Hi, how are things going for you? The policeman enquired.
“I’m fine,” she answered. “How about you?”
She clarified that she had been taking pictures of the memorial and that she didn’t want to drive while feeling angry.
She acknowledges that he reported her marijuana use to his dispatcher “hours and hours ago,” but he said she didn’t appear intoxicated.
“Is there a hotel or anything like that here?” The cop queries.
“I don’t,” she answers.
Though I wasn’t quite sure yet, I was considering spending the night simply camping. My intention was to remain here until dusk.
He informs her that it is forbidden to camp inside the city limits and advises her to spend the night at a nearby truck stop.
“I wonder if you can see the Love’s lights up there, the yellow ones?” he inquires.
“This is the truck stop.” You can just set up camp in the vicinity of the gas station. No one will annoy you.
“That’s great, I really love it,” she answered.
After spending the night at the truck stop, she promised him she would come back to take photos at the memorial.
He said to her, “Hang out here however long you want,” and walked away.
“After that, you’re free to go.”
When the car was found, the reptile was gone along with Chelsea’s clothes, sleeping bag, wallet, and driver’s license. According to the police, there is no proof of foul play.
Her family, though, does not think their daughter would hurt herself.
Her mother Janet Grimm told Law and Justice, “Chelsea is an incredibly vivacious and talented young lady and she’s got a heart of gold.”
Although she’s probably not the only person in Arizona walking around with a bearded dragon, it’s likely rare to see many people doing so.
“By the way, it’s usually on her shoulder.”
She had met a friend in Phoenix the day before her conversation with the police officer, and she had scheduled lunch with her sister for the following day, but she abruptly canceled.
Her father Stephen Grimm acknowledged that she appeared erratic over the past day or two.
She was afraid of the boy she was dating and was angry with him.
We get the impression that she was escaping him. And I believe that was generally having an impact on her mentality.
Sarah McCarthy Grimm, Chelsea’s sister, alerted Facebook users to the fact that Chelsea’s ex-boyfriend was pretending to be her fiancé and had created a fake GoFundMe page to aid in the search.
Her father claimed that the reason he hired a private investigator was not because he was disappointed with the police work, but rather because they were simply out of leads.
“We feel like we have real professionals working really hard to find her, and we appreciate that,” he said.
Nevertheless, there aren’t many brand-new hints. It makes sense that it would take them to a slightly different level of immediacy, but it also seemed like a harmless idea.
It’s a nightmare that you could never have imagined falling into and that you wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Having stated that, we’re persevering. We’re clinging to the prospect.
