Police have broadened the search for a missing UCLA student from Los Angeles to the entire West Coast, days after the student was reported missing on Tuesday.
David John Goeser, a fourth-year English student, was last seen by his roommates at about 10 a.m. on July 22 at his apartment on the 1000 block of Roebling Avenue, according to a Los Angeles Police Department report released Wednesday. His phone and wallet, containing his identification and credit cards, were found in the apartment, the report stated.
Police found the 22-year-old honor student’s car, a 2001 white four-door Toyota Corolla, at the base of a hiking trail in the Pacific Palisades near Los Liones Drive on Wednesday night.
After an intensive search for Goeser in the Pacific Palisades produced no significant results, the LAPD concluded that he might have left the area. His family believes he might be headed to Vancouver, Wash. because a Washington driver’s license was found in his apartment, said his mother, Christi Goeser.
In light of the new revelation, the search has expanded to all of the West Coast, police said.
It is unclear whether Goeser has connections in Washington, as his family was unaware he visited the state until they discovered the license, his mother said.
Goeser’s parents reported him missing Tuesday night after receiving a call from his roommate that evening making them aware that he had not been to his apartment in several days. They had not heard from their son for about a week since he was last seen, she said.
In the past year, David Goeser showed signs of depression and anxiety, Christi Goeser said. He is currently under a doctor’s care and needs regular medication, according to the police report.
More than a dozen officers searched for David Goeser on foot, horseback and on dirt bikes in the hiking trails surrounding the area where his car was found throughout Wednesday and Thursday. A helicopter was also sent to survey the area for signs of the missing student but did not succeed in finding him.
An avid hiker, David would often take off for hiking trips spontaneously, Christi Goeser said.
It is undetermined whether there was any foul play in his disappearance, police said.
“We are hoping that he is safe and that he will come home,” Christi Goeser said.
Friends of the missing student created a Facebook page entitled “Find David Goeser” to help aid in the search and keep the community updated on the status of the search.
“The Facebook page is spreading the word about David faster than we ever could without it,” Christi Goeser said. “I have never been more grateful of social media.”
One friend, third-year film student Jesse Orrall, said he was concerned about David Goeser’s disappearance. He said the missing student began to withdraw from his friends several months ago.
But Orrall can recall the upbeat person he first met while working on a movie that David Goeser wrote in 2010 for the Film and Photography Society at UCLA.
UCLA administrators have expressed concern about David Goeser’s safety and well-being, and plan to closely monitor the situation as it progresses, said Ricardo Vazquez, a university spokesman.
David Goeser is white, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 160 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a thin build and a fair complexion, according to the police report.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts can contact the LAPD missing persons department at (213) 996-1800.