Foul play not suspected in disappearance of Fort Bragg 15-year-old Roy Mora
FORT BRAGG, CA., 12/17/24 — Fort Bragg police have listened to a psychic, read hours of social media posts, and gone to experts to have cell phone data obtained by a search warrant analyzed. They have talked to Mendocino Transit Authority bus drivers and reviewed footage of people riding on MTA buses.
None of it has given them information to get closer to finding 15-year-old Roy Mora, who was reported missing on Dec. 8 by a parent after he did not return home following the Dec. 7 Lighted Truck Parade in downtown Fort Bragg. In the last confirmed sighting, Mora was walking south on the Noyo River Bridge at 8:30 p.m., following the parade. A surveillance camera captured the image, police said. His cell phone either went dead or was turned off that morning between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. The phone’s location when it went dark was determined to be behind the fire station on Main Street, near the entrance to the Central Coastal Trail. A fenced-in path runs between Skunk Train property on both sides out to the trail. To the north is Glass Beach. To the immediate south is the oceanfront city sewer plant. At times, the parking lot where the cell phone last broadcast is also utilized by the homeless for car camping.
No surveillance video showed Mora walking north on the Noyo River Bridge. (It’s unclear if video existed that would have shown Mora returning north had he done so.) And it is unknown whether the cell phone was in Mora’s possession when it went dark. The cell phone itself has not been recovered; information was from the warranted data search.
Nothing so far has led police to suspect foul play, Fort Bragg Police Chief Neil Cervenka said in an email interview on Dec. 16.
“There is no evidence or signs of foul play, however, nothing is ruled out at this point.”
A problem for police was that Mora’s social media accounts remained active for days with someone signing in and using the social media. Police obtained warrants and searched the social media history. They determined that Mora had shared his passwords with friends, and that Mora’s friends were signing in and keeping social media active, Cervenka said.
“It was determined that it was Roy’s friends who were logging in, rather than Roy himself. This new information has influenced the course of the investigation,” a press release prepared by Cervenka said.
“The Fort Bragg Police Department has been following leads, authoring search warrants, conducting searches of areas, requesting and reviewing dozens of surveillance videos, and going through dozens of tips. No information is being dismissed. FBPD has searched areas provided by psychics who believed they knew where Roy was. Investigators are also re-interviewing possible witnesses as potential leads develop,” the press release continued.
The investigation into Mora’s disappearance has extended to New York and Idaho, where the teen has contacts.
Another police search effort has been the data they obtained from the cloud showing the usage of Mora’s phone.
“CalOES Search & Rescue FALCON is a group of law enforcement officers specially trained in deciphering cell phone data. They analyzed all of the information obtained through the search warrant. While they were able to provide more precise geo locations of where the cell phone last was, they did not uncover any information not already known to FBPD investigators. The precise locations they determined had already been searched by officers, volunteers, tracking dog teams, and a USCG helicopter,” the press release said.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17 Fort Bragg residents also continued to search for Mora, promising to share any findings with police. They have searched miles and miles of state park land. Mora enjoyed walking on the ocean, his family told investigators. A group of bicyclists and dirt bikers rode along forest roads from the A and W Logging Road north of the hospital to remote roads in Jackson Demonstration State Forest.
Said one biker, “We stop every 20 to 30 feet, get off our bikes and look up, down and around. Our goal is to look everywhere even if that means we don’t cover huge distances, at least we know where we have looked so far was extremely thorough.”
One person got a call from someone seeking money and making threats and reported it to this reporter. Police are advising people to be aware of scammers utilizing fear that may be present in the community and claiming someone has been kidnapped. On the FBPD Facebook page, there are further details and a video about the scam.
Police were still waiting on Tuesday for some of the surveillance information the department has requested from the area where the phone went dark. There is an auto shop, a plumbing business, the fire station and Skunk Train offices, all of which helped with the investigation. Chris Hart of the Skunk Train affirmed that the company is helping with the search.
“We are also working with agencies in other counties where it was determined Roy had friends he was still in contact with in an attempt to identify those friends to interview them. At this point, none of the leads or searches have provided investigators with information as to Roy’s whereabouts,” the press release said.
Roy Mora is described as being 5’6” tall with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a dark blue T-shirt with the Mendocino College logo in white writing, denim jeans, and white shoes. Mora may also be wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and round-rim glasses.
“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. If you have photo or video surveillance of Roy from the evening of December 7, 2024 or after, you can directly upload at https://fortbraggpd.ca.evidence.com/axon/community- request/public/findroy.”
Please find related coverage about this subject from The Mendocino Voice below.
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