Man, 21, Is Arrested in 1992 Disappearance of College Student

Katrina Elizabeth Montgomery left an Oxnard party five years ago and hasn’t been seen since--a disappearance that baffled police and her family.

The 20-year-old Santa Monica College student simply vanished. Police, private investigators, even psychics searched for her. No body was ever found. No arrests were ever made.

Until now.

Larry Robert Nicassio, 21, was arrested last week on suspicion of slaying Montgomery and faces a hearing this morning in Ventura County. Police say they expect more arrests.

The break in the case came earlier this year after the Ventura County district attorney’s office dusted off the files and came up with new leads. Investigators now believe that she was murdered in Ventura County, although her body has not been found.

Nicassio, whose last known address was North Hollywood, is scheduled to appear for a hearing in Ventura County Juvenile Court because officials believe that he killed Montgomery when he was 16, said Lt. Jim Harper, a Los Angeles police homicide detective. Harper would not say what evidence has been gathered against Nicassio.

Today’s hearing will determine whether Nicassio will be tried in adult court, Harper said.

Members of Montgomery’s family, who live in Westchester, have been in contact with police since Nicassio’s arrest. But after five years of agonizing over their daughter’s disappearance, they said Wednesday that it was too difficult to discuss.

“It’s really been a painful time. This makes it more painful,” said her mother, Katy Montgomery. “It’s a very personal tragedy,” she said. “When she was missing, it was useful for the press to be involved, there was a reason. At this point, the police are working on it.”

Her daughter, who worked as a waitress at Jerry’s Famous Deli in Marina del Rey, had been headed to Ventura to visit a friend.

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The petite redhead stopped by a party at a home in the 1200 block of Azalea Street in Oxnard and was last seen leaving alone about 5 a.m. on Nov. 28, 1992.

Her pickup truck was found about 11 hours later in Angeles National Forest. The keys were in the ignition and there was a little blood in the cab.

“I remember thinking about it a lot,” said Jesus Alba, who worked with Montgomery at the restaurant for about a year.

Alba described Montgomery as popular with customers. When she disappeared, her co-workers were shocked and saddened, Alba said.

“I remember it made me wonder about people in general,” he said. “I wondered if maybe she was picked up by strangers. I thought about it for a long time after.”

Shortly after Montgomery’s disappearance, a $10,000 reward was offered for information in the case. No one ever came forward.

Except for her blue Toyota pickup, no trace of her has been found.

Friends organized search parties. Her family hired a private detective and three psychics to help. At one point, investigators following an anonymous tip used a helicopter, search dogs and a backhoe to search a portion of the Santa Clara River. Nothing was found.

Then, this spring, investigators from the Ventura County district attorney’s office reopened the case. They followed up on some cold leads, and last week they arrested Nicassio.

The investigation is not complete, Harper said. Ventura County prosecutors would not comment on the case because it is still in Juvenile Court.