LOCAL : Chatsworth Woman Found Safe

A 40-year-old Chatsworth woman who was reported missing by her boyfriend after the two got into an argument in the Malibu hills was found unharmed today by a passerby after rescue teams searched the area, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

Vicki Thompson was found walking along Kanan Dume Road about 9 a.m. today after Malibu Search and Rescue Team members and a helicopter began looking for her at dawn in an area near Latigo Canyon Road, Deputy Mary Landreth said. A passerby notified the Sheriff’s Department.

The searchers feared that Thompson had fallen down a cliff because her boyfriend, whose name was not released, had reported last seeing her going over the crest of a hill that led to a steep drop-off, Landreth said. Thompson had stopped her car on Kanan Dume about 2:40 a.m., got out and just walked away after she had an argument with the boyfriend, Landreth said.

“She had apparently slipped down the hill,” Landreth said. “When her boyfriend started looking for her and calling to her, she didn’t answer because she didn’t feel like talking to him. He drove away to get the Sheriff’s Department, and she climbed up.”

Thompson apparently rested in the area until daylight and then started walking on Kanan Dume Road, Landreth said. She was spotted about a mile from the search area. Landreth said Thompson was not injured and declined medical attention.