Garden Grove : Retarded Woman Found Unharmed

A retarded 24-year-old woman missing since Saturday has been found unharmed at a Garden Grove motel a short distance from the mental-care facility where she lived, police said Wednesday.

Kara McElravy, 24, was last seen walking near Petite Amis, a facility for retarded adults, in the 13000 block of Wilson Street in Garden Grove. Police had feared foul play when she failed to return Saturday night, according to Garden Grove Police Investigator Mike Handfield.

Handfield said McElravy was in a motel lobby Saturday when she struck up a conversation with a young man checking in.

“He felt sorry for her and she said she was hungry, so he bought her dinner,” Handfield said. The man was aware that McElravy, who functions at the level of a 13-year-old, had problems but did not know that she had been reported missing.

“Fortunately, she met this nice guy,” Handfield said. “She stayed in the room with him. He even took her to Knott’s Berry Farm.”

Acting on several tips from the public, police handed out flyers bearing McElravy’s photo near the intersection of Beach and Garden Grove boulevards. Employees at a Coco’s restaurant recognized the picture and called police when the man returned to ask for change, Handfield said.

The man led police to his motel room, where McElravy was found watching television.