By Linh Tat
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Police are looking for a man they believe may know something
about the disappearance of a UCLA student more than seven months
ago.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released a sketch
Monday of a man wanted for questioning in the case of Michael
Negrete, who has been missing since Dec. 10.
"It’s encouraging now that we have a lead thats pointing to a
person, that theres someone to look for," said Mary Negrete,
Michael’s mother, late Tuesday night.
The man is described as white, 35 years old, 5 feet 7 inches,
with a heavy build and no facial hair. He was reported to police as
wearing a gray jacket with a turquoise design.
Michael, a first-year undeclared Dykstra Hall resident at the
time he disappeared, was last seen wearing a blue plaid shirt and
khaki shorts. He is 5 feet 8 inches, 130 pounds, and has black
hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.
According to police, he logged off of his computer around 4 a.m.
on Dec. 10. He left behind his wallet and other personal
belongings, and police have received few new leads since then.
In early July, a student alerted police about a man who was
allegedly seen in Dykstra Hall the night Michael disappeared.
Police did not say whether the student attends UCLA.
The student, who is not in trouble with police, came forward
with the information of their own accord, said Deputy Sheriff Bruce
Thomas.
Though police do not consider the man in the drawing a suspect,
he is wanted for questioning.
"We feel he could be a very vital part of the investigation,"
said Sgt. Joe Purcell of the Sheriff’s Department Homicide
Bureau.
"He could be the key person that could lead us into finding
Michael or he could give us nothing," he added.
Because the Sheriff’s Department does not have a missing persons
bureau, UCPD handed the case over to homicide detectives in May,
but police were quick to point out this does not mean they believe
Michael is dead.
Since the drawing aired on television Monday, Purcell said his
department has received new leads from the public.
"We’re receiving calls now from citizens who’ve seen the
broadcast and giving us names of the people they believe resemble
the drawing," he said Tuesday.
For the Negrete family, who posted a $100,000 reward for
information leading directly to Michael, news that there may be a
person with information about him is welcomed.
"After so many months of having nothing to go on, its very
encouraging," Mary said. "It seems like a long time in coming but
it proves that it’s never too late to speak up."
While the information has offered the family new hope, Mary said
they are careful not to expect too much.
"I dont want my emotions to go up and down like a roller
coaster," she said. "I just have to stay on an even keel so that I
can keep functioning."
Early in the investigation, bloodhounds from the Sheriffs
Department traced Michael’s scent to a bus stop on the corner of
Sunset Boulevard and Bellagio Drive.
Since then, police have come across few leads that have seemed
promising, said Joe Chefalo, the Negretes’ private investigator.
But, he said, this latest news may prove otherwise.
"This is the best lead we’ve gotten in a long time," he said.
"This is the first lead of any substance we’ve had."
In June, the Sheriff’s Department issued a questionnaire to
Dykstra Hall residents asking them what they recall of the date in
question.
Police have searched for Michael throughout the entire
University of California system, Arizona, Nevada, San Francisco,
San Diego and Long Beach, where the Negretes once lived.
To contact the Sheriff’s Department with information about the
case, call (323) 890-5500.