Mariposa County Sheriff says disappearance of woman being investigated as homicide
Mariposa County authorities said an investigation into the whereabouts of Wendy Pullins, who was last seen last year in Mariposa County, is now being treated as a homicide investigation.
Pullins was reported missing to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office on June 18, 2022, according to a Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office social media post. Authorities said the investigation into her whereabouts initially began with a search and rescue operation. According to the sheriff’s office, after a lengthy search for Pullins, the case was turned over to detectives in the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Investigations unit.
On Sept. 8, 2022, nearly three months after Pullins was reported missing, Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office detectives located a Jeep Cherokee the woman was last known to be driving. Authorities said the Jeep was found down an embankment in a remote area of the county.
The vehicle was sent to the California Department of Justice Forensic Laboratory for processing and blood inside the vehicle was determined to be a positive match to Pullins’ DNA.
The DOJ laboratory is also processing several pieces of evidence collected from the vehicle in an effort to identify any possible suspects connected to the investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
According to authorities, due to the blood found in the vehicle, the condition of the vehicle and the amount of time Pullins has been missing, the investigation is now being treated as a homicide.
The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Pullins’ whereabouts.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office at 209-966-3615 or by email at sheriff@mariposacounty.org. According to authorities, anonymous tips can be submitted using the Mariposa Sheriff App.
