Man Plans Kayak Trip, Disappears

A 28-year-old former Ventura resident who disappeared nearly two weeks ago was still missing Saturday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said.

Henry Miranda of Montecito was reported missing Dec. 5, three days after telling friends he planned to kayak to Anacapa Island, more than 20 miles off the coast, Senior Deputy Sheriff Tim Gracey said.

Miranda’s truck was found Thursday on Miramar Beach near Montecito with the car keys and wallet inside. His wet suit and kayak were also discovered missing from his home. But Gracey said, “We don’t even know for a fact if he got into the water.”

Miranda, who is self-employed, disappeared for several days last year, said his mother, Pura Patina of Santa Barbara. His father, Henry Miranda Sr. of Saticoy, declined comment.

“He would go camping or go into the mountains just to clear his head,” Patina said. But this time, she said she fears he may have drowned.

“My heart just felt down because I knew my son had gone out into the water,” said Patina, who discovered her son’s truck last week.

Bill Richlang, Miranda’s business partner, said the soft-spoken outdoorsman often spends time alone.

Seven investigators and divers from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department searched the waters off Anacapa Island and the Ventura County coastline last week, but Gracey said a full-scale search is not scheduled for the near future.

The U.S. Coast Guard and area harbor patrols have also been alerted, he said.