Bryce Laspisa, based on all findings, was an average college youth. He was youthful, skillful, and captivating.
As the single progeny of Michael and Karen Laspisa, the family was utterly close-knit. However, the path of red-headed Bryce’s life would soon take a grim and intense turn.
Instead of celebrating their son’s accomplishments in school, Bryce’s parents now spend each and every day pondering the same question: What occurred to our son?
Who was Bryce Laspisa?
Bryce Laspisa was the sole descendant of Michael and Karen Laspisa, and he had been born and raised in Illinois. Not long after he graduated from high school in 2012, the family relocated across the country to California.
Bryce appeared to adapt to life in California without any hurdles. A skillful artist, he was specializing in graphic and industrial design at Sierra College in Rocklin, and he excelled in school.
He was still inexperienced but had already amassed an impressive portfolio of work. Bryce was remarkably charming, with a cheerful and amiable demeanor that immediately put people at ease.
He formed several friendships during his freshman year at Sierra College, and had also commenced a romantic relationship with another student, Kim Sly.
Bryce Laspisa At Somewhere in Restaurant
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At the completion of the academic year, he returned to his parents’ residence in Laguna Niguel, which was roughly 465 miles south of his college.
He was connected with his parents and appeared delighted to be home with them. He dedicated part of the summer taking an English class at a local college; this gave him a head start on earning the credits he would need to obtain his degree.
The autumn semester commenced on August 26, 2013. Bryce attended a speech class and a web design class that day, and he phoned his mother that night to express his affection for them.
As far as Karen was concerned, the conversation had been perfectly ordinary. Bryce was active and enthusiastic about the new semester, and it didn’t seem like there was anything she needed to be concerned about.
Those who saw Bryce on a daily basis, however, were anxious about him. He hadn’t been behaving like himself since he returned to Rocklin two weeks earlier, and his demeanor was becoming increasingly unstable.
The Indications Of Deteriorating Behavior
Bryce had never been an unruly teenager; he was a typical college youngster. Bryce’s history with alcohol and drugs was somewhat typical for any teenager starting to seek some adventure.
He had engaged in some underage drinking at gatherings, and his parents discovered he likely smoked marijuana. However, nothing indicated any sort of addictive inclination.
Those close to Bryce were surprised to observe a sudden escalation in his alcohol consumption. Bryce was drinking daily at this point, and when asked about it, he would simply claim that nothing was amiss.
After some resistance from his girlfriend, Bryce eventually confessed he was also using the ‘study drug’ Vyvanse.
Things started to spiral out of control right around the time that classes commenced.
On Tuesday, Bryce’s behavior appeared even more peculiar. Kim knew that he had been drinking quite heavily lately, but this seemed to be more than just alcohol.
Concerned, she asked Bryce what was wrong, but he maintained that everything was fine. When Kim persisted in questioning him, he finally admitted that, in addition to drinking, he had taken the drug Vyvanse.
An amphetamine-based narcotic, Vyvanse is a potent stimulant, and the impact it has on a person is comparable to that of methamphetamine.
It has become a popular recreational drug on many college campuses, as it provides an energy boost that allows the user to go without any sleep for an extended period of time.
From there, things took a turn for the worse for the couple. The effects of Vyvanse provide intense bursts of energy, and the parallels to methamphetamine made the drug both a recreational and academic aid across U.S. college campuses.
Kim noticed these effects on Bryce, who purportedly took the drug with a friend in order to stay up all night drinking and playing video games.
Kim was worried, as this was an unusual behavior for Bryce, but he didn’t seem to consider it a significant issue.
He seemed to become irritated with Kim for suspecting him, and ultimately sent her a text message indicating that she would be better off without him anyway. Bewildered, Kim inquired if he was ending their relationship, and he confirmed that he was.
Around 11:00 pm that evening, Bryce phoned his mother from Kim’s apartment in Chico. It’s unclear why Bryce was supposed to visit Kim, as he hadn’t changed his mind about breaking up with her and he still refused to provide any justifications for his abrupt decision.
Concerned about his erratic behavior, Kim confiscated his car keys and asked him to get some rest before attempting to drive home.
Bryce informed her he preferred to leave, and demanded his keys back. When Kim refused to comply, he phoned his mother.
Griping that Kim wouldn’t let him depart, he insisted that his mom speak to her and instruct her to return his car keys to him. After conversing with Karen, Kim gave Bryce his car keys and he left her apartment around 11:30 pm.
Was Bryce In Distress?
The following morning, Bryce’s parents received an automated message from their insurance confirming that there had been a roadside assistance request placed for one of their vehicles.
They attempted to contact Bryce, wondering if he had encountered some car trouble driving home from Kim’s apartment. They were astonished to learn from Bryce’s roommate that he had never returned home the previous night.
Karen attempted to reach Bryce on his cell phone, but he did not answer. However, the couple was able to locate the repair shop that had assisted Bryce via the internet.
From there, they were able to identify the auto shop’s name that had come to Bryce’s aid.
They discovered that Bryce had called roadside assistance around 9:00 am that morning from the small town of Buttonwillow — more than 350 miles south of Kim’s apartment.
It was evident that Bryce must have driven non-stop throughout the night to get there.
After contacting the repair shop, Bryce’s parents managed to get an employee named Christian to assist them.
Christian, the employee who answered the call, told Karen that Bryce had gone as far as the Buttonwillow Rest Area before running out of gas, and he had given three gallons of gas to him around 9:30 am.
When he learned Karen had been unable to get in touch with her son, Christian attempted to drive back to the rest area to see if Bryce was still there.
Christian didn’t expect to see Bryce; it had been almost three hours since the roadside assistance call, and he thought that Bryce had most likely continued on to wherever he was going.
He was astonished when he pulled into the rest area and saw Bryce resting in his car in the exact same spot he had been in that morning.
Bryce seemed surprised to see Christian as well, even more so when Christian handed him his cell phone and informed him his mother wanted to talk to him.
Karen was relieved to hear her son’s voice but was concerned about the circumstances in general. When she asked Bryce what he was doing,he didn’t provide an answer.
Despite offering little information, Bryce’s voice was clear, and there was no indication of intoxication.
Because Bryce was merely about three hours away from Laguna Niguel, Karen decided to postpone the questioning.
All Bryce needed to do was return to Interstate 5, and he would be home in a matter of hours. She suggested Bryce refuel his gas tank and said they would anticipate his arrival at home around 3:00 pm. Bryce agreed.
Remaining at the Same Spot for 13 Hours in Buttonwillow
Due to his unusual behavior, his parents promptly involved the police when he did not reach Rocklin.
When Bryce had not arrived at their home by 3:30 pm, his parents began to feel concerned. They had no way to contact Bryce, as once again, he was not responding to his cell phone.
They tried to convince themselves that Bryce was probably stuck in traffic somewhere, but as the hours passed and there was still no word from him, they knew they were facing a more complex situation than a simple traffic jam.
Disturbed that Bryce may have been in a car accident, they contacted the police and reported him missing.
Reasonably, the first thing the police did was contact Bryce’s cell phone provider and have them ping his phone to determine his location.
Once they did, it didn’t take long to locate him. Almost 10 hours after he had requested roadside assistance, Bryce was still in Buttonwillow.
Once they reached Bryce’s location, two Kern County deputies were sent to check on him. He had refueled his gas tank as his mother had instructed, but instead of getting on Interstate 5, he had simply parked near it.
If he was surprised to see the deputies, he hid it well. He was polite and cooperative and told them he was just trying to relieve some stress before continuing his drive home.
It was a logical explanation, but deputies wanted to ensure he was fit to drive. They had him exit the car and conducted some field sobriety tests, which he passed easily.
He told them they were welcome to search his car, and they found nothing: no drugs, no alcohol, no weapons.
Bryce was not a minor, and he had not been engaged in any criminal activities, so the police had no grounds to detain him. Before releasing him, however, they instructed him to call his mother.
They were surprised when Bryce seemed reluctant to do so, even after being informed that she had been extremely worried about him.
Finally, one of the officers took Bryce’s phone and called Karen himself. He assured her that Bryce had passed their field sobriety tests and seemed to be fine.
They had no doubts about him being on the road, and this reassured Karen somewhat. She then briefly spoke with her son, telling him that he needed to get himself something to eat and then resume his journey.
He said that he would. After Bryce spoke with his mother, the deputies left, convinced that he was finally ready to make the drive home.
Despite his assurance that he would be on his way shortly, Bryce was still sitting in the same spot a few hours later when Christian drove by.
He called Karen to inform her that Bryce was still parked on the side of the road and told her that he would follow Bryce to the interstate to ensure he got on it.
Bryce seemed to realize that he was not going to get away with waiting any longer, especially if the police had to return. He got a soda at a nearby gas station and told Christian he would start driving home.
Finally, more than 13 hours after he arrived there, Bryce left Buttonwillow and got on Interstate 5. Christian observed him for about 10 miles and did not notice anything peculiar about his driving.
He phoned Karen again to inform her that Bryce was finally on Interstate 5 and heading south toward Laguna Niguel.
Car Accident in the Middle of the Night
Bryce decided to delay his arrival at his parents’ home, and at 1:50 am, he contacted them to say he’d changed route.
He was using GPS and estimated he would arrive at 3:25 am. He then called for a second time at 2:09 am to inform them he was too fatigued to drive and would rest.
The next day his parents were awoken to the sound of a California Highway Patrol officer at their door. Bryce’s car had been found totaled but without Bryce inside.
The car had veered off a 25-foot embankment before crashing onto the road, where it was eventually found.
Camera footage revealed that only a few minutes after informing his parents he was taking a rest, he drove up a hill toward the Castaic Lake Recreation Area.
Just over two hours later, he drove past this camera again, heading up the mountain. Bryce’s car was found destroyed less than an hour after this second pass.
Without Bryce present, officers were tasked with figuring out what had occurred. Surprisingly, they realized that the car had not driven off the embankment accidentally.
It appeared as though it was done deliberately and that Bryce had held the accelerator down the entire time.
The car was lying on its side when the police found it, and the glass had been shattered from the inside, likely allowing Bryce to escape.
All of his important belongings, such as his phone, were in the car. A duffel bag containing clothes and Bryce’s wallet was found on the road near the vehicle. The bag was open, indicating that someone had looked inside.
The crash had only minor signs of blood in the driver’s seat, and there were no indications on the ground that Bryce had struggled to move.
The Search for Bryce
The extensive search was thorough, with officers employing ground, water, and aerial crews to comb through the vast and natural terrain of Castaic Lake State Recreation Area.
Dogs were utilized and followed Bryce’s scent to a location called Government Cove, but skilled divers could not find any trace of him. Despite all the efforts, Bryce had apparently vanished.
With no evidence of foul play, investigators quickly began to suspect that Bryce had been suicidal.
Shawn, a friend, informed the police that Bryce had given him his XBOX console, along with a pair of diamond earrings from his mother.
Combine with his odd behavior before the crash, some suggested Bryce’s mental health may have been compromised.
Bryce’s Disappearance Progress After Seven Years
Today, Bryce’s family continues to believe that he is still out there. Whether they believe their son wants to be found or is in hiding, many believe that Bryce likely perished shortly after he vanished.
In the seven years since his disappearance, there has been no confirmed sighting of Bryce. Considering his red hair, muscular build, easily identifiable features, and the extensive public search effort, it is surprising that nobody had seen him.
There may never be a definitive explanation for what happened to Bryce, though it seems likely that he is no longer alive.
He has been missing for over seven years now, and there has not been a single confirmed sighting of him.
If he had chosen to run away and start a new life somewhere else, it is hard to believe that he could have kept his identity a secret for very long.
His information has been entered into the national missing person database, and his fingerprints, dental records, and DNA are all on file.
His parents have never stopped searching for him and hope to find out what happened to their only son one day.
Still, his parents continue to post on a Facebook page dedicated to finding their son. Perhaps someday soon, we can all find out what happened.
Where Is Bryce Laspisa in 2022?
In the years since his disappearance, no new leads have emerged. His family continues to post missing persons notices, hoping to uncover the truth someday.
Bryce Laspisa’s 28th birthday would have been on April 30, 2022 if he was found. It’s been nine years, yet Twitter and other social media sites are still filled with his missing posts, with many asking the same question: WHERE IS BRYCE LASPISA?!
