El Cajon

A report by a K mart clerk in El Cajon who said she saw a missing 7-year-old Oceanside girl on Monday turned out to be an unfounded, an Oceanside police spokesman said.

The clerk told Oceanside police Monday that she saw a girl who matched the description of Leticia Hernandez, who has been missing since Dec. 16.

Police said Tuesday that the clerk saw a man and a woman in the store with the girl, who appeared to fit the descriptions of the two suspects who police believe abducted Leticia.

The clerk said the man was holding the girl by the shoulders, as if restraining her, as she walked in front of him, said spokesman Bob George.

“The only thing the man had in common with our suspect is that he is white,” George said. “Our suspect is shorter, and thinner, with long blond hair.

“The woman with our suspect is also white and thin, but the woman the clerk saw was Hispanic and heavy-set.”

The girl with the couple did match the description of Leticia to some degree, George said. She is about 7 years old and is missing two front teeth. However, when police showed the clerk the photograph of Leticia, she did not positively identify her as the girl she saw.

There have been more than 230 sightings or leads, and 90% have been unconfirmed, George said.

“If anyone thinks they have seen the girl, they should give us a call, and let us determine if it’s right or not,” he said.