A bogus tweet was sent from Sierra LaMar’s Twitter account on Wednesday, and it wasn’t the first time the missing teen’s account was fraudulently accessed.
Sierra’s account was hacked a few weeks ago by someone in the Philippines, but authorities weren’t able to pursue the source because it occurred outside their jurisdiction, Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said.
The first hacking incident wasn’t disclosed to the public because detectives didn’t want the individuals behind these crimes to receive too much publicity, and subsequently take away needed resources from the LaMar case.
“It takes away from the primary focus in this case, which is to follow-up on creditable leads, locate Sierra and return her home,” Cardoza said.
Although investigators determined that Sierra’s account was accessed without the teen’s consent, they’re not ready to release specifics about how the determination was reached.
“We’re working on tracing where it came from right now—there’s some more follow-up that needs to be done,” Cardoza said.
Sierra, who grew up in Fremont but most recently lived in Morgan Hill, was last seen on March 16.
Sheriff’s Office personnel are resuming search efforts for Sierra today, and are currently . Divers will search any identified areas of interest, Cardoza said.
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For previous coverage of the Sierra LaMar case, visit Gilroy Patch's Sierra LaMar Disappearance: Comprehensive Updates and Information page.
