Police, family of missing Anaheim couple not giving up hope
An Anaheim couple who planned to visit their son in La Quinta hasn’t been heard from since Sunday afternoon when they were leaving the Valley View Casino in Valley Center.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department sent out an alert regarding 79-year-old Cecil Knutson’s and 68-year-old Dianna Bedwell’s disappearance on Monday morning. Deputies said the man and woman were last seen around 2 p.m. Sunday.
Relatives told police the man and woman had planned on going to their son’s home in La Quinta, but they never made it. They also haven’t returned to their home in Orange County.
They were driving their 2014 white Hyundai Sonata with California license plate No. 7EHE981.
Their son Robert Acosta said his mother’s phone was shut off shortly after they left the casino. Deputies told him that about 15 minutes later his dad’s phone was also shut off as the couple drove on Interstate 15 near Deer Springs Road.
“My mom doesn’t turn her phone off, my dad doesn’t turn his phone off. They don’t call me without saying hey we’re leaving the casino now. The fact that they didn’t do that is an issue for us,” said Acosta.
The California Highway Patrol has issued a Silver Alert for drivers to be on the lookout.
“Everything you can imagine that goes into a missing persons investigation is being done,” said San Diego County Sheriff’s Public Affairs Director Jan Caldwell.
Caldwell said because Knutson and Bedwell left in a car, the sheriff’s department hasn’t deployed a search and rescue team, because it doesn’t have an area to search.
“We do have our helicopters overhead going over the logical routes and attempted areas. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of course is helping with that endeavor,” said Caldwell.
Investigators said they’re not ruling anything out, including foul play. The children gave deputies their parents bank records and credit card information.
“If my parents were carjacked or abducted or taken against their will then we need clues in order to find them,” said Acosta.
If you’ve seen either of them or have information regarding their whereabouts, you’re asked to call 911 or the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.
