STEPHANIE CUDD - 15 yo (2010) - Pacheco (W of Concord) CA / NV alerted

Family members of a 15-year-old Pacheco girl who went missing more than a week ago are asking for the public's help in bringing her home safely. Stephanie Cudd, a sophomore at College Park High School, left home sometime between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Nov. 29th, her father Thomas Cudd said Tuesday. Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said that investigators have entered her name into the missing persons database and followed up with her school, her family and her boyfriend, but as far as they have been able to determine, it appears that she ran away voluntarily. Stephanie's father, however, said that family members fear that somebody might have lured her away, possibly somebody she met on the Internet, and that she might be in the company of an adult male. Stephanie's boyfriend received a voicemail message from her over the weekend from a phone number with a Las Vegas area code, Thomas Cudd said. He said his daughter doesn't know anyone in Las Vegas, and he fears for her safety. He said his daughter is a good student and a good kid with no history of drug or alcohol use and no history of running away. She is a white female with brown hair, brown eyes and pierced ears. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 116 pounds. Her family is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Polly Klaas Foundation to find Stephanie. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office at (925) 646-2441.

Endangered Runaway

STEPHANIE CUDD DOB: May 24, 1995 Missing: Nov 29, 2010 Height: 5'4" (163 cm) Eyes: Brown Race: White Age Now: 15 Sex: Female Weight: 116 lbs (53 kg) Hair: Brown Missing From: PACHECO CA United States Stephanie may be in the company of an adult male. Her ears are pierced.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department (California) 1-925-646-2441

Family members of a 15-year-old Pacheco girl who went missing more than a week ago are asking for the public's help in bringing her home safely. Stephanie Cudd, a sophomore at College Park High School, left home sometime between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Nov. 29th, her father Thomas Cudd said today. Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said that investigators have entered her name into the missing persons database and followed up with her school, her family and her boyfriend, but as far as they have been able to determine, it appears that she ran away voluntarily. Stephanie's father, however, said that family members fear that somebody might have lured her away, possibly somebody she met on the Internet, and that she might be in the company of an adult male. Stephanie's boyfriend received a voicemail message from her over the weekend from a phone number with a Las Vegas area code, Thomas Cudd said. He said his daughter doesn't know anyone in Las Vegas, and he fears for her safety. He said his daughter is a good student and a good kid with no history of drug or alcohol use and no history of running away. She is a white female with brown hair, brown eyes and pierced ears. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 116 pounds. Her family is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Polly Klaas Foundation to find Stephanie. Anyone with information abouther whereabouts is asked to call the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office at (925) 646-2441.

15-year-old Pacheco resident Stephanie Cudd, now missing for almost two months


On the 29th of January, it will be two months since anybody has seen or heard from 15-year-old Stephanie Cudd.
Cudd, a student at College Park High School, might be in the company of an unknown adult male.
For more information on her disappearance, please click ON THIS LINK.

Missing College Park High girl found safe, family says

01/29/2011 06:56:13 PM PST

A 15-year-old girl who disappeared in late November has been found, according to comments from her family on a Facebook page set up to allow community members to help with the search.

The Facebook message said she had been located by a private investigator hired by the family.

"While she is not home, we know that Stephanie is safe and nearby," the message said. "The Cudd family would like to express their deepest gratitude for all those who helped us in our time of need."

Stephanie, a sophomore at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, left home on Nov. 29.

The family was also working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Polly Klaas Foundation to find her.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/incontracosta/detail?entry_id=82051
Editor's note: This is an SFGate.com In Contra Costa
Blog. These blog posts are not written or edited by SFGate or the San
Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content
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Stephanie Cudd, found safe after 2 months


Stephanie Cudd, the 15-year-old Pacheco resident and College Park
High School student who has been missing for exactly two months, has
been found safe.
The details on where she was found are not available, but we're hearing she was somewhere close to home.
Thanks to everybody who helped spread the word over the past few months when she was missing.

Posted By: CLAYCORD.com (Email) | January 29 2011 at 05:06 PM
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/incontracosta/detail?entry_id=82051#ixzz1CWnKpdzy

Stephanie Cudd, the 15-year-old Pacheco girl who went missing for two months, has been found safe.The details on where she was found were not available, though investigators said she was close to home."Our
prayers have been answered," the family said in a statement. "Carl
MArino of Butler and Associates Investigation located Stephanie. While
she is not home, we know that Stephanie is safe and nearby."Cudd was a sophomore at College Park High School and left home sometime between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. on Nov. 29.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/26665124/detail.html

Charges sought against Concord woman in case of missing teen





CONCORD -- The Contra Costa Sheriff's Office is seeking criminal charges against a woman it says hid and covered for her son's girlfriend, a Pacheco teenager who went missing last fall.
Pacheco resident Stephanie Cudd, 15, went missing from her home in November. The sheriff's office investigated the case -- conducting interviews and forensic analyses, among other things -- but found no sign of the girl.
Two months after she was reported missing, Cudd contacted her family saying she was safe.
Sheriff's detectives believe that Concord resident Eva Nichols, 39, hid Cudd in her home during the entire time the teen was missing. They charge that Nichols, Cudd's boyfriend's mother, faked a phone call and misinformed investigators. In one instance, detectives say that Cudd was hiding in a crawl space as they searched Nichols' house.
Detectives have decided to pursue formal charges against Nichols, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer. The case remains under investigation and will be presented to the District Attorney in the near future, according to a sheriff's spokesperson.
"This type of behavior is unacceptable and criminal," sheriff's Capt. Steve Warne said in a news release. "Detectives spent numerous hours and resources searching for Cudd. This case diverted time and resources away from our other investigations."

http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_17343775

The following message is from Tom Cudd, he's the father of the
15-year-old Pacheco girl who was missing for two months, only to be
found at the home of Concord resident Eva Nichols. Nichols allegedly lied to Detectives & the Cudd family, and helped lead the search for Stephanie while she was "missing".


To our dear friends,
On the morning of November 29th we woke up and found our daughter,
Stephanie Cudd, missing. We had no clue where she had gone or why she
would leave. She seemed to be happy, with no more problems or pressures
than any other high school girl. Immediately our friends and family
helped us search for her. People we had never met offered their time and
their love in the search for our girl. Hundreds of fliers were posted
by volunteers, and the community rallied around our family. People from
around the world prayed for her safety. As the days turned into weeks,
and the weeks became months, we had no clue whether our daughter was
alive or dead, in someone's control, or wandering the streets. There was
one phone call from a fake number, which only led to more uncertainty.
Stephanie was found recently, physically safe and nearby. Two days
ago she was able to leave the house where she had been lured. With that
dark chapter behind us, we are free to speak without worrying about harm
coming to her. Thousands of people helped and supported us in our
difficult times, and you deserve some answers along with our sincerest
gratitude.
When Stephanie disappeared she was taken to the house of Eva and
Stuart Nichols. Stephanie was kept hidden in her house the entire time.

While we cried, unsure if our daughter was alive, Eva held our hands.
When Stephanie's little sister prayed for her safety, Eva was there.
When we held candle-light vigils, pleading with Stephanie's friends to
come forward if they knew anything, Eva and Stuart were with us. While
we planned searches and media campaigns, Eva and Stuart were there,
pretending to take a lead, helping administer the website. While we
racked our brains for any slights or words that might have driven our
daughter away, they would return to their house and tell Stephanie how
much we hated her.
There was a lot of misleading information given out, faked phone
calls and planned misdirection. They tried to throw suspicion on an
acquaintance of Stephanie's in Southern California, they faked a phone
call from Las Vegas. And we had no idea if she was wandering the streets
somewhere in Nevada, or dead by the hand of someone who had lured her
away.
We hired several private detectives, and over the weeks expenses
spiraled out of control. A reality TV show offered to take over paying
the private detective bills if we allowed them to film the search. With
no other options we accepted the deal. We had to know our daughter was
alive. During this time we were advised by the county and private
detectives to not draw too much attention to the search. Many people who
had been helping us were surprised when we turned down the heat-this is
why we did it.
Once the film company took over a detective named Carl Marino was
able to charm his way into Eva Nichols confidence and he was able to
find Stephanie. Carl contacted the family immediately and suggested we
"talk" Stephanie home. After some time it became obvious that Stephanie
was under Stuart and Eva's influence and not going to come home. When
she realized how large the search was for her, and how many people were
praying for her, she was mortified, and felt she could never face any of
her friends or the people of town.
We became desperate to extract Stephanie from the toxic atmosphere of
the Nichols house, and the police brought in Child Protective Services.
Eva made baseless allegations of abuse at home as another ploy to drag
things out. Child Protective Services and the officers looked at both
sides and conducted interviews with Stephanie about her safety and what
had happened. Child Protective Services brought Stephanie home to us,
and the police are pressing charges against Eva Nichols. Stephanie is
doing well. She is not able to face the friends from school who went to
such lengths to support her, and she is currently attending a private
boarding school that can offer her therapy and a chance to catch up on
the months of her life she missed.
Because of the help of everyone in the community enough attention was
drawn to the case for Stephanie to be found. That chapter of her life
is done. We are trying everything we can to help her write a new chapter
where she is able to come back to us and her friends once again.
Thank you, and thank you again.
The Cudd family.
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