MARIPOSA COUNTY – On September 26, 2023, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office invited public assistance in solving a missing persons case from June of 2022, a case that California Department of Justice (DOJ) criminalists are assisting with.

“Numerous California law enforcement agencies count on the expertise of criminalists who work in California DOJ labs throughout the state as they have access to the latest science and are dedicated to their work as it pertains to public safety, criminal justice and discovering the truth,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.

Wendy Pullins was last seen in Mariposa County on June 15, 2022. She was reported missing to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office on June 18, 2022.

On September 8, 2022, detectives with the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office located the Jeep Cherokee that was last known to be driven by Pullins. The vehicle was found down a steep embankment in a remote area of Mariposa County. The vehicle was sent to a California Department of Justice (DOJ) Forensic Laboratory to be processed for anything of evidentiary value. Forensic analysis done of blood located inside the vehicle was a positive match to Pullins’ DNA. Because of the amount of time that has passed since Pullins was reported missing, the condition of the vehicle and the blood located inside the vehicle, the investigation is being treated as a homicide.   In addition, multiple items of evidence were collected from the vehicle and are being processed by the DOJ lab in an effort to identify suspects in this investigation.

“Wendy’s family deserves answers, and my office will not stop trying to find those answers. Our Detectives are working this case daily. I am confident we will catch those involved, very soon,” said Mariposa County Sheriff  Jeremy Briese.

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office encourages citizens who have additional information to contact its office at 209-966-3615 or via email at sheriff@mariposacounty.org.