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Body found under Noyo Bridge matches the clothing and jewelry of missing Fort Bragg teen Roy Mora

FORT BRAGG, CA., 12/23/24 — A body found under Noyo River Bridge Monday morning was wearing jewelry that belonged to missing teen Roy Mora, a press release from the Fort Bragg Police Department said. Mora’s mother identified the necklace, the press release said.

Police said the body was not identifiable otherwise. An unidentified person found the body just after 8 a.m. Monday morning and called dispatch. Although officers who arrived could not identify the body, they noted the person was wearing the same clothes Mora was wearing when he disappeared. The area around the bridge had been searched dozens of times by law enforcement and volunteers.

A search has been going on for more than two weeks after Mora, 15, disappeared following the Dec 7 Lighted Truck Parade in downtown Fort Bragg. A barista at the Mendocino Cookie Company identified Mora’s phone when a man living nearby in his car turned it into the coffee shop. She had seen it on the brochures around town and called the police.

Police used that evidence, cell phone location and other data to triangulate Mora’s whereabouts. They tracked him entering Noyo Bridge shortly after the parade. His phone was found on the sidewalk of the bridge, but no cameras showed him leaving, nor did police find evidence that cars slowed down on the bridge.

Roy Mora, 15, of Fort Bragg, Calif., was reported missing after the Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 Lighted Truck Parade in downtown Fort Bragg. Roy was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. (Fort Bragg Police Department via Bay City News)

Police say the search for Mora will continue. Until the medical examiner makes a positive identification through DNA, FBPD will continue to follow leads regarding Mora. Based on all evidence to date, there is no sign of foul play, the press release said.

Police Chief Neil Cervenka said in the press release, “The entire police department is devastated and is grieving with our community. Our entire staff has been working continuously to find Roy, and through that, have come to know him. Our thoughts are with Roy’s family and friends.”

Fort Bragg PD would like to thank Fort Bragg Fire Department and the US Coast Guard for their assistance with Monday’s recovery, Cervenka said. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact FBPD Dispatch with the Fort Bragg Police Department at (707) 964-0200 or email room-299199@room.veoci.com.

The post Body found under Noyo Bridge matches the clothing and jewelry of missing Fort Bragg teen Roy Mora appeared first on The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA.

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Frank Hartzell

Frank Hartzell has spent his lifetime as a curious anthropologist in a reporter's fedora. His first news job was chasing news on the streets of Houston with high school buddy and photographer James Mason, back in 1986. Then Frank graduated from Humboldt State and went to Great Gridley as a reporter, where he bonded with 1000 people and told about 3000 of their stories. In Marysville at the Appeal Democrat, the sheltered Frank got to see both the chilling depths and amazing heights of humanity. From there, he worked at the Sacramento Bee covering Yuba-Sutter and then owned the Business Journal in Yuba City, which sold 5000 subscriptions to a free newspaper. Frank then got a prestigious Kiplinger Investigative Reporting fellowship and was city editor of the Newark Ohio, Advocate and then came back to California for 4 years as managing editor of the Napa Valley Register before working as a Dominican University professor, then coming to Fort Bragg to be with his aging mom, Betty Lou Hartzell, and working for the Fort Bragg Advocate News. Frank paid the bills during that decade + with a successful book business. He has worked for over 50 publications as a freelance writer, including the Mendocino Voice and Anderson Valley Advertiser, along with construction and engineering publications. He has had the thrill of learning every day while writing. Frank is now living his dream running MendocinoCoast.News with wife, Linda Hartzell, and web developer, Marty McGee, reporting from Fort Bragg, California.

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