Abandoned car of missing Berkeley woman found in remote Humboldt

Humboldt County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the disappearance of a Berkeley woman whose car was found abandoned on a remote logging road.

A timber company employee found the vehicle on Snow Camp Road near Korbel on Sept. 24, the sheriff’s office stated in a news release. On its windshield was a note with instructions to “Tow to Berkeley.” There was no sign of the car’s owner, 75-year-old Betty Baxter Simmons.

Deputies investigating the incident found Simmons’ personal belongings inside the vehicle. They suspect the car became stuck while trying to turn around at a locked gate and may have been left there for “some time.”

Simmons reportedly was last seen around Sept. 5. According to deputies, she told a Berkeley neighbor at the time that she was planning a short trip. The neighbor told officers she had not returned.

Simmons is approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, 156 pounds, with gray hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information about Simmons’ whereabouts is requested to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Reporter. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate