Key facts
- Name: Bryce David Laspisa
- Born: April 30, 1994, Illinois
- Age at disappearance: 19
- Last heard from: August 30, 2013, ~2:08 a.m.
- Location: Near Castaic Lake, Los Angeles County, California
- Height / weight: 5’11”, 170 lbs, red hair (eye color reported as green in some listings, blue in others)
- Distinguishing: Taurus bull-head tattoo with his birthday in Roman numerals on his upper left arm; pierced ears
- Status: Still missing — case open
- Vehicle: 2003 beige Toyota Highlander, found down a 15-foot embankment
- Investigating agency: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office
Thirteen motionless hours
On the morning of August 29, 2013, a tire-shop owner in Buttonwillow, California, brought three gallons of gas to a 19-year-old stranded off Interstate 5. Problem solved. Except Bryce Laspisa didn’t drive away.
He sat there. For hours. Not eating, not sleeping — just sitting in his SUV in the same spot while the day burned off around him. His mother, unable to reach him by phone, asked the shop owner to go check on him again around 11 a.m. Still there. The man talked to him, urged him to get moving, and finally watched him pull out around 3 p.m.
Thirteen motionless hours, from a kid who’d simply run out of gas. Nobody has ever explained them.
That afternoon Bryce called his mother and said he was heading home to Laguna Niguel — about three hours away. He never arrived. Before dawn, his SUV would be found on its side at the bottom of a 15-foot embankment near Castaic Lake, 90 miles from Buttonwillow. His phone, his laptop, his wallet — all inside. Bryce was gone.
Who Bryce was
Bryce grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and went west for college, starting his sophomore year at Sierra College in Rocklin, California, in August 2013. He was social, close to his family, nineteen.
In the days and weeks before he vanished, friends watched him change: up all night on video games, drinking hard, giving things away. On August 27 he ended things with his girlfriend by text — she’d be better off without him, he wrote. He gave away prized possessions, including his Xbox and the diamond earrings his mother had given him. His girlfriend later said he’d started taking Vyvanse, a stimulant prescribed for ADHD (reported in secondary accounts). He told his parents he had “a lot to talk about.” He never said what.
August 28–30, 2013: the timeline
- August 28, shortly before 11:30 p.m. — Bryce leaves his girlfriend’s apartment in Chico, California, assumed to be heading back to college.
- ~Midnight — His parents’ credit card company flags a roadside-assistance charge in Buttonwillow (off I-5), about 90 miles north of where he’d later be found. He’d run out of gas.
- August 29, ~9:00 a.m. — A local service provider brings roughly three gallons of gas. Bryce stays parked in the same spot for hours.
- ~11:00 a.m. — At his mother’s request, the shop owner checks again. Bryce is still there, motionless in the SUV.
- ~3:00 p.m. — Talked into moving, Bryce drives off.
- Afternoon — He calls his mother: he’s heading home to Laguna Niguel.
- Evening — He doesn’t arrive. His parents report him missing to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators find his phone is still in Kern County.
- After 7:00 p.m. — A Kern County deputy finds Bryce a short distance from Buttonwillow, checks on him, and sees no sign of impairment. The deputy looks through the vehicle and reports nothing concerning.
- ~1:00 a.m., August 30 — Bryce calls his mother again. Secondary accounts say she believed he was calling from his apartment — but records later placed him south of Rocklin, going the wrong way.
- 2:08 a.m. — Bryce calls his mother and says he’s pulled off I-5 to rest because he’s tired, describing a “residential neighborhood,” planning a short sleep. He’ll call when he wakes up. Nobody hears from him again.
- Between 4:20 and 5:15 a.m. — The family’s 2003 Toyota Highlander is found down a 15-foot embankment near Main Ramp Road at Castaic Lake, on its side. A California Highway Patrol officer comes to his parents’ door in Laguna Niguel with the news.
The SUV and the search
What was in and around the SUV: his cell phone, his laptop, his wallet — all left behind. The rear window was broken. Secondary accounts add details never confirmed as official forensic findings — drops of blood said to be Bryce’s, an opened duffel bag nearby, tire-track analysis suggesting the SUV accelerated down the embankment instead of braking. We report those as reported claims, not established facts.
Then the full machinery of a search: helicopters, boats, search dogs, divers in Castaic Lake. Bloodhounds trailed Bryce’s scent to a nearby truck stop — and the trail died there, “like he got into another vehicle” (secondary accounts). Ground teams walked miles around the lake. Nothing.
In early September 2013, a burning body was found near Lake Hughes Road, about three miles north of the search area. It was identified as someone else. Not Bryce.
Over the years, unconfirmed public sightings — Oregon in September 2013, a 2022 photograph from Missoula — were ruled out, one by one.
What we still don’t know
What were the thirteen hours in Buttonwillow? A lucid, unimpaired nineteen-year-old — a deputy confirmed it — sat motionless in his SUV for most of a day over a simple out-of-gas call. Then drove 90 miles in the wrong direction.
Why Castaic Lake? He told his mother he was pulling over in a “residential neighborhood.” Castaic Lake at 4 a.m. is not a neighborhood, and Bryce — an Illinois kid — reportedly didn’t know the area.
Was it a mental-health crisis? The breakup text (“you’d be better off without him”), the given-away possessions, the all-night drinking and gaming, the newly started stimulant — the cluster is one the family and the coverage have both pointed to. Context, not a conclusion. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the US.
Foul play, accident, or voluntary disappearance? No evidence of foul play was reported at the scene. The abandoned phone, wallet, and laptop argue against a planned walkaway. But with no body and no confirmed sighting in thirteen years, all three stay formally open.
His parents, Karen and Michael, have kept his name in the public eye through media and anniversary appeals — asking people to do acts of kindness on the anniversary of his disappearance.
Have information?
Contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office: (323) 890-5500, or the family’s tip line: (949) 292-4400 / findbrycelaspisa@gmail.com. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- April 30, 1994 — Bryce David Laspisa is born in Illinois.
- August 2012 — Graduates high school in Naperville; enrolls at Sierra College, Rocklin, CA.
- August 27, 2013 — Breaks up with his girlfriend by text; gives away possessions.
- August 28, 2013, ~11:30 p.m. — Leaves his girlfriend’s apartment in Chico.
- August 29, 2013 — Runs out of gas in Buttonwillow; sits motionless in his SUV for ~13 hours; deputy welfare check finds no impairment.
- August 30, 2013, 2:08 a.m. — Last phone call with his mother.
- August 30, 2013, 4:20–5:15 a.m. — SUV found down the embankment at Castaic Lake; Bryce gone.
- Sept 2013 — Massive search; burning body found nearby is identified as someone else.
- 2016 — Case featured on Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared.
- Aug 2024 — 11th anniversary: “Still No Signs Of Bryce Laspisa” (Hometown Station).
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Bryce Laspisa still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Bryce Laspisa has been missing for more than 13 years. No confirmed sightings, no remains, no arrests — the case remains open.
How old would Bryce Laspisa be today?
Bryce was born April 30, 1994 — he turned 32 in April 2026.
Was Bryce Laspisa ever found?
No. Despite an extensive search of Castaic Lake and the surrounding area, no trace of Bryce has ever been found.
What happened to Bryce Laspisa’s car?
His 2003 Toyota Highlander was found on its side at the bottom of a 15-foot embankment near Main Ramp Road at Castaic Lake between 4:20 and 5:15 a.m. on August 30, 2013. His phone, laptop, and wallet were inside; the rear window was broken.
What was wrong with Bryce before he disappeared?
Friends noticed changes in the preceding days — heavy drinking, all-night gaming, giving away treasured possessions, and a breakup text saying his girlfriend would be “better off without him.” His girlfriend said he’d started taking Vyvanse. These are context, not a conclusion about what happened.
How can I help?
Share this case file, and if you have any information, contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office at (323) 890-5500 or the family’s tip line at (949) 292-4400.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office; CA Attorney General missing-persons listing (oag.ca.gov); NamUs MP21970; NCMEC poster 1222511.
- News: Chicago Tribune (2013–2015 anniversary coverage); CBS Los Angeles (Feb 2014); KHTS/Hometown Station (2022–2024 anniversary coverage).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Bryce Laspisa” (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared (2016); podcasts including Crime Junkie (2018) and True Crime Garage (2022).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.