Without Daughter, It’s a Sad Season

Nine months after her daughter disappeared following a trip to San Diego, Nancy Ekelund faces the prospect of celebrating Christmas without her for the first time in 20 years.

Thanksgiving has come and gone without news about Lynsie, a Fullerton College student. Normally, mother and daughter would have spent the Thanksgiving weekend feeding the poor.

Nancy Ekelund’s answering machine still greets callers with, “You’ve reached Nancy’s and Lynsie’s house.” It’s a sign of normalcy in an otherwise sad home.

“It’s the worst thing you can ever imagine. Not knowing where she is, is the worst,” said Ekelund, a Placentia resident.

Placentia Police Det. Corinne Loomis said Lynsie, 20, left for San Diego in February with three friends. One of them dropped Lynsie off near her home in Placentia in the early hours of Feb. 17, but she never made it to the house.

Neighbors launched a campaign to find her and police have logged many hours on the case. A $5,000 reward offered in October didn’t yield a single call. This week, a new detective, David Douglas, was assigned to the investigation.

“We’re looking for anyone with information,” Douglas said. “Her mother’s anguish is still very high, not knowing what has happened to her daughter during the holidays.”

Lynsie called her mother at work on Feb. 16 to cancel their usual Friday night dinner. She said she was going to spend the night at a girlfriend’s house in Anaheim. But she ended up going to San Diego.

Police said Christopher McAmis, 22, of Whittier was the last person to see Lynsie alive. He told police Lynsie asked to be dropped off in front of a next-door neighbor’s home about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 to avoid angering her mother.

Loomis said investigators have not corroborated or refuted McAmis’ statement. “He’s certainly a focus of the investigation,” she said.

Loomis said it is unknown if foul play is involved but she fears for Lynsie’s safety because there has been no activity on her bank account or cell phone.

“I’m trying to keep the hope,” Nancy Ekelund said.

On Thanksgiving for the past 10 years, the mother and daughter would attend a Presbyterian Church. Then at a soup kitchen near their home, Nancy would help prepare holiday meals and Lynsie would serve them to the hungry.

Lynsie has a tracheotomy scar and lost the use of her left arm and hand in a car accident. She is 5 feet, 7 inches; 112 pounds; and has short brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information is urged to call Douglas at (714) 993-8164.