What happened to Sara Otero? CA woman's body found at bottom of cliff after 11 days
OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA: On February 9, 2022, police discovered the body of 28-year-old Sara Celeste Otero near Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, 11 days after she went missing. Police confirmed that the body recovered from a restricted area of the Marine Corps base belonged to the woman after identification from her family. Otero was reported missing on January 28 and was last seen leaving her home in Alderney Court.
The mysterious disappearance of Otero is similar to that of other women who have gone missing this year. On January 30, we reported on the disappearance of Alexis Gabe. The Oakley woman's car was found with its keys still inside, but absolutely no sign of her. Down in Flordia, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is calling for help to locate Paola Miranda-Rosa after she was last seen swimming in the alligator-infested waters of the Wekiva River.
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Like with the disappearance of Gabe and Miranda-Rosa, it appears that Otero abandoned her car shortly before vanishing. Police discovered her car at a rest stop off the side of a road near Camp Pendleton. Given that the area is a military base and usually well guarded, there are some major questions about Otero's fate, and how she was never found till February 9.
What happened to Sara Otero?
Otero was last seen on January 28, leaving her home at around 8:40 am. She reportedly told her stepfather that she was going to meet a friend at a gym and was unreachable on her phone after 10:00 am. "To be missing for a few days and not answering family, that's just never happened before," noted stepbrother Ryan Bear. Concerns mounted after she did not show up for work at the Mission Avenue Bar & Grill later that evening. "She had never missed a day of work," Bear added.
That led her family to contact the police who have since been looking out for Otero. The police eventually found her body at the bottom of a cliff on February 9, after coming across her car. "Her body was found a short time later at the bottom of cliffs in a restricted area," a spokesperson for Oceanside Police told The New York Post. The individual added, "She appears to have left her car and wandered into the restricted area." A helicopter was used to remove her body from the area, but it is unclear at this time if the Marine Corps were involved in the operation.
The family was able to identify the body based on Otero's tattoos. For now, foul play is not suspected, but the medical examiner has not yet ruled on the cause of death. The family confirmed Otero liked to spend time in nature and reportedly struggled with depression and substance abuse in the past. Otero's stepsister Chelsea said that "she shared that she was feeling depressed," and believed it was affecting her relationship with her boyfriend. Despite dating for only a short time, the two were reportedly "going through some stuff."
While Otero has been clean for over two years, it appears her depression may have played a role in her death. In a Facebook post, Otero's father Greg wrote that his daughter "decided that she had had enough of this life." The devastated family has thanked the community for their love and support, and requested not to be contacted at the moment.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.