Urgent search for missing 19-year-old Madera woman, car found abandoned and burned

Monday, November 27, 2023
MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Madera County Sheriff's Office is looking for 19-year-old Melanie Stephanie Rios Camacho.

Investigators said she left her job at Auto Zone around 10:15 on Friday night.
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Camacho told her mother she was going to a friend's house after work. Detectives have uncovered that Camacho told her friend and coworkers she was going to see an ex-boyfriend.

Detectives said they are still trying to determine who that man is.

"When she didn't arrive home that night, her mother got concerned. Went to look her up on her phone, realizes she wasn't able to locate the phone, wasn't able to reach her daughter. Obviously, she was extremely concerned, so she called and reported her missing," said Sheriff Tyson Pogue.

A couple of hours after Camacho's mother reported her missing, her car was found abandoned and on fire in a farm area off Avenue 14 near Road 8.



"We know that 19-year-olds don't typically unplug from the world and fall off the face of the Earth," said Sheriff Pogue.
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This case is the Sheriff's Office's top priority, and several investigators are working to find the missing 19-year-old.

"We're doing a lot on the backend, but we're also asking for the public's help to generate any other leads that maybe we're not aware of," said Sheriff Pogue.

As the search for Camacho continues, investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward and reach out to the Madera County Sheriff's Office.

Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.

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