Mystical Billboard Image Attracts Sunday Drivers

Crowds continued to flock to Beyer Boulevard in Chula Vista Sunday night to view the billboard where many say they see the image of a slain 9-year-old girl.

There were more than 20,000 viewers Sunday night, a little less than half as many as visited the site Friday night, Chula Vista Police Officer John Madison said.

Motorists were backed up three-quarters of a mile down Main Street and Broadway as people came from as far away as El Centro to look at what some believe is a likeness of Laura Arroyo of San Diego, who was snatched from her home and murdered last month.

Madison said that, during a police briefing Sunday, he had been told to expect that the billboard lights would remain dark. Instead, he said, they came on about 8:55 p.m.

Police made their first arrest since curious crowds began flocking to the area last week--a drunk driver who argued with an officer, Madison said.

Visitors have erected a candlelight shrine at the base of the billboard, with drawings of the Virgin Mary and offerings of flowers.

On Saturday, Chula Vista police had indicated that an official of the billboard company had informed authorities that the lights would not be switched on in an effort to defuse the nightly spectacle.

Police had voiced concerns that the thousands of visitors in cars and on foot could create a safety hazard along Beyer Boulevard, where the billboard is situated.

Frank Sanchez, an executive of the billboard company, could not be reached for comment late Saturday.

The perceived image has only been visible after night-time illumination of the three timer lights at the base of the billboard. Each fixture contains a 400-watt bulb.

Authorities say it is the play of light and shadow on the blank white billboard that has created what many interpret as the blurry outline of a young girl in repose. Others say they see additional figures--perhaps even the girl’s murderer--in the billboard.

Intrigued onlookers have been stopping to gaze at the billboard for more than a week, but huge crowds began arriving Thursday after extensive media attention to what many quickly came to view as a miracle. The site promptly became a nocturnal shrine, drawing thousands of believers, mostly Latino Catholics from the South Bay area of San Diego County.