Missing Persons Group Founder Fails to Show : Courts: She is charged with cashing more than $6,300 in checks on accounts held by the painting contractor she worked for as bookkeeper.

The founder of a Canyon Country group that claimed to locate missing persons is now missing herself, a fugitive from trial on charges that she cashed thousands of dollars in forged checks, law enforcement authorities said Monday.

June Littlefield, who also uses the name June Ramsay, has been missing since May 29, when her trial was scheduled to begin in San Fernando Superior Court, Deputy Dist. Atty. Sandra L. Seinfeld said. The 55-year-old Littlefield, who described herself as founder of Missing Persons International, a taxidermist and an expert in tracing abducted children, had been free on her own recognizance.

Littlefield was the target of an inquiry last year by the state attorney general’s office into allegations that she was illegally raising money for her group by falsely claiming that it was tax-exempt.

The inquiry ended without charges being filed when state investigators concluded that Littlefield had failed to register Missing Persons International as a tax-exempt organization through an oversight and had “ceased making any misrepresentations along those lines,” Deputy Atty. Gen. William Abbey said.

That investigation appears to be unrelated to the theft charges that Littlefield was to stand trial on, according to Abbey and Seinfeld, who said she was surprised by Littlefield’s disappearance.

“I’m really shocked because she was very adamant about going forward” with the trial, Seinfeld said, adding that Littlefield’s failure to appear in court had caught her own defense attorney off guard. A bench warrant has been issued for Littlefield’s arrest, Seinfeld said.

Littlefield’s attorney, Louis A. Stearns Sr., declined to comment Monday through a spokesman, who said Stearns has been unable to reach Littlefield or her husband, Chuck Littlefield.

When she was charged last year, Littlefield claimed that the case stemmed from an ongoing dispute with her former employer, whom she accused of illegal bookkeeping practices. The employer, Santa Clarita painting contractor Michael Fink, called Littlefield’s claims “a bunch of baloney” Monday.

Chuck Littlefield was quoted in news reports last week as saying his wife of six years left the state to avoid trial. She had been severely depressed because of an $8,000 debt in legal fees, Littlefield said, and because her 21-year-old Missing Persons group disbanded in April.

“I don’t see how she kept from having a nervous breakdown,” Littlefield said.

Chuck Littlefield could not be reached for comment Monday.

According to Seinfeld, June Littlefield cashed more than $6,300 in checks on accounts held by Fink’s company, MD Painting. Fink said the amount of missing money was more than $20,000. The checks were either forged entirely or altered to reflect higher amounts during the year that Littlefield worked as Fink’s bookkeeper and secretary, Seinfeld said.

Fink said Littlefield quit the job in March, 1990, before the company’s taxes were prepared. He said she also left a note saying, “Don’t ever contact me or else I’m going to destroy you.”

Seinfeld said she did not know why Littlefield took the money, but added that motive had not been investigated because “our case rests on the checks.”

Seinfeld said she was considering bringing an additional charge against Littlefield of fleeing while on bail. That charge could add a maximum three years to the six years in state prison that Littlefield could be sentenced to if she is convicted on the forgery and theft charges, Seinfeld said.