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November 20, 2010 (Lakeside) – Christopher Cory Carioscia, 17, told his family he was going surfing at Pacific Beach on the evening of October 26th. The former El Capitan High School student hasn’t been seen by his family since.
The Sheriff’s department never notified the media about the teen’s disappearance, although it’s been reported on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Chldren website and other missing children sites. Now, the Union-Tribune reports that Carioscia’s car was found burned on the Barona reservation the day after he vanished.
“If we had been convinced it was a homicide, obviously we would have been talking about it a lot sooner,” Lt. Dennis Brugos with the Sheriff’s homicide unit told the Union-Tribune. “And we’re not convinced of that even now.”
Sheriff’s media representatives have not yet responded to our request for additional information. Many missing teen cases are considered to be runaways. However, with a burned vehicle, many in the community are now asking why the public wasn’t notified about a missing teen case in which evidence seems to indicate the teen could be in danger.
The Union-Tribune reports that Carioscia was last spotted outside the Barona casino at 12:30 a.m. on October 27th. Authorities have been poring over surveillance videos, working with tribal authorities and crime lab tests of evidence found at the car since then.
Investigators conducted a search yesterday where the teen’s car was found. According to Brugos, items at the scene led homicide to be called in. “It’s not looking good,” he said, adding that the teen may have associated with people involved in narcotics.
Christopher Carioscia is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 130 lbs., with brown hair, a scar over his left eye, a scar on top of his head, pierced ears and an SD Roger Cousins tattoo on his abdomen. Born December 6, 1992, he was wearing a black jacket, white and gray shirt, black Dickies pants and white shoes when last seen. He is a resident of Lakeside, where he lived with his mother before his disappearance.
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