LUCERNE VALLEY — Ginger and Don Stuart have searched for their missing daughter Krystie for almost three years now, diligently following every clue they get, no matter how farfetched.
Their search has both galvanized and frustrated them, with Don describing the various leads they’ve followed, with no real results, as “running smack into a brick wall.”
So when the Stuarts first got a text with a possible clue on Dec. 5, they were immediately skeptical — but the menacing message wasn’t something they felt they could ignore.
The text was sent to Don Stuart’s cellphone from an unknown phone number with an Ohio area code. He received it at 4:50 p.m. on Dec. 5.
“Hello sir, this is to let you know we have Krystie Stuart (your missing daughter) in our captivity. Text us back for tips on her release,” the text read.
Alarmed, yet with a vestige of hope, the Stuarts immediately contacted the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which has been investigating Krystie’s disappearance.
“By 5 p.m., they were here, and a detective was here in our living room until 9 p.m that night,” Ginger Stuart said.
Krystie, 30, was reported missing March 3, 2015 after she never arrived at a friend’s home in Apple Valley. Krystie, who lived with her parents, had reportedly contacted the friend after “having issues” at a dental appointment that afternoon.
Her vehicle, a white Dodge Dakota pickup truck, was found five days later in a rural area of north Apple Valley. Several personal items — her phone, keys, clothing and glasses — were found in the truck, according to her mother.
In the time since then, the Stuarts have followed up on several clues, gone on searches and looked into all possible clues. The text Don received set off an ordeal that lasted an entire day, as the Stuarts went back and forth with their daughter’s alleged captor.
Under the detective’s direction, the Stuarts, through their lawyer, began to communicate with the mysterious messenger.
“He said he had Krystie, that she was really sick and she needed to go to the hospital. He was really playing on our heartstrings,” Ginger Stuart said.
The person said Krystie was being held captive at a home in Tennessee, along with about 10 other people.
“He even gave out addresses of where she was supposedly at,” Ginger Stuart said. “The Tennessee police actually went up and down that road and checked the houses there.”
The alleged captor told the Stuarts he wanted to take Krystie to the hospital, but needed them to send him $500. He provided a name and phone number for a supposed friend who worked for Western Union, and asked the Stuarts to wire the money to him.
As the night wore on, the Stuarts’ doubts increased, especially when they asked the person for a photograph of their daughter. The person initially refused, claiming Krystie was so sick she had “passed out.”
About two hours later, the person finally sent them the photo.
“We could all tell it was Photoshopped,” Ginger Stuart said. “You could tell the head was taken from another shot, and we all knew where that shot was from.”
Now positive it was a scam, the Stuarts peppered the alleged captor with further questions. They asked about Krystie’s tattoo, and were told she scraped it off as it “reminded her of her family and caused her pain.” Krystie has never had a tattoo, her parents said.
“We said we needed more proof, but he just kept saying, ‘I’m in danger, I need the money, send the money now.’ He just kept saying that,” Ginger Stuart said.
As this was going on, detectives worked on tracking down the alleged captors. The text came from Google Messages, so detectives worked with the company to find where the messages came from.
“The investigation found that the messages were coming from another country,” Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station spokeswoman Pam Hoffman said.
The Stuarts said the scammer was found to be based out of Lagos, Nigeria. The supposed friend who worked for Western Union was an elderly man who said his identity had recently been stolen, they said.
The scammer was allegedly targeting other families as well. The Stuarts said the responding detective told them a family in Texas was also a victim, and that both scams were going on simultaneously. Hoffman confirmed this was the case.
“It appears the same scam is being sent to other people who have missing family members.” Hoffman said.
It’s not an uncommon scheme — Don Stuart said he’s since found out there are several variants, and there’s even a warning posted on the U.S. Embassy Nigeria Consulate’s web page about the scams.
“Scammers can be very clever and deceptive, creating sad and believable stories that will make you want to send them money,” the warning states.
Ginger Stuart said she believed they were targeted through the Help Find Krystie Stuart Facebook page, created shortly after Krystie went missing. She typically posts once a month, on the 3rd, the same day Krystie went missing.
Just two weeks before, the family had been following up on yet another lead: a supposed sighting at the Rusty Bull Roadhouse in Apple Valley. With that in mind, Ginger Stuart said she posted her and Don’s cellphone numbers on Dec. 3 in the hopes of getting another lead.
“That may have been something that triggered it, I don’t know. We’ve since been told not to put our phone numbers out there,” Ginger Stuart said.
Hoffman and the Stuarts both confirmed there’s currently no new updates on Krystie’s whereabouts, and no new leads have been found. The ordeal has left the family numb, after what seems like a never-ending series of dead ends.
“We’ve been through so many different things that we just don’t take everything at heart,” Ginger Stuart said.
Yet despite the frustration, they cling to hope — and remain on the lookout for that one sighting, that one clue, that will finally lead them to their daughter.
“Maybe this is a blessing in disguise,” Ginger Stuart said. “Krystie’s case is getting new attention because of this; we were even on TV. Maybe this will lead to further clues.”
The investigation into Krystie Stuart’s whereabouts is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station at 760-956-5001 or 760-552-6800, or Detective William Doemner at 760-248-2120.
Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or PBaker@VVDailyPress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DP_PaolaBaker.
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