Woman Whose 911 Call Went to the Wrong State Is Found Dead

UPDATE Apr 2, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

A tragic ending to the story of a California woman whose 911 call was routed to the wrong state: Amanda Nenigar, who went missing Feb. 27, was found dead Friday night in a remote area near the small Arizona town of Cibola, just over the border from California, CBS News reports. She was found naked under a tree about a mile and a half from her car, which had gotten stuck. Her clothes were found nearby, and authorities believe she may have been trying to cool off, going under the tree for shade. They believe she may have died of exposure, but an autopsy will be performed. Nenigar lived about 25 miles away, in the California city of Blythe, but often drove into Arizona to visit family. "Who knows what she went through, suffering for that many days out there alone," her sister tells AZFamily. "Whoever that dispatcher was, he failed my sister horribly, horribly."

Mar 26, 2024 10:45 AM CDT

A missing California woman hasn't been seen for a month since calling 911 and asking for help that apparently never arrived. Amanda Nenigar, 27, of Blythe, a city bordering Arizona, called 911 on Feb. 27, stating her 2010 blue Toyota Camry was stuck in a ditch. Connected with a dispatcher in California, she gave "close to the exact coordinates" of her location, KPHO reports. But the dispatcher seemed confused. "I'm trying to get a location on you, but I'm not getting one," the person said. Authorities ultimately searched for Nenigar along Highway 95, finding nothing, KPHO notes. More than a week later, after authorities in Arizona heard the call, they responded to a location 1.5 miles from where Nenigar's vehicle was found March 7 in a remote desert near Cibola, Arizona, some 30 miles from the focus of the earlier search.

The vehicle's rear wheels were on top of a boulder. None of Nenigar's belongings were inside, and there was no sign of her, sister Marissa Nenigar tells KPHO. "I don't know why they didn't transfer her to dispatch in Arizona," she adds. "She gave them her exact location and someone could have went and got her. They could have found her." Police view the case as "very odd," per People. Nenigar had described herself as "kind of in a valley" on the 911 call. "I climbed to, like, a high mountain," she said, "and I'm wearing pink." Last known to be wearing a pink hoodie, black leggings, and black-and-white tennis shoes, Nenigar is described as 5'3", 175 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. She has a tattoo of a rose covering her right hand. Anyone with information is asked to call the Blythe Police Department at 760-922-6111 or the La Paz County Sheriff's Office at 928-669-6141. (More missing person stories.)