(NewsNation) — Police in several states are on the lookout for a California woman who went missing during a cross-country road trip.
Chelsea Grimm’s parents Stephen and Janet joined NewsNation’s “Banfield” on Monday night with exclusive details about the case.
“She was spontaneous. She changed plans a lot,” Stephen said. “This wasn’t the first time she ever changed a plan, for sure.”
Chelsea left home in San Diego on Sept. 24, headed for a wedding in Connecticut. She was traveling with her pet bearded dragon. Three days into the trip, she met up with a friend in Phoenix, Arizona, and called her parents to say the drive was taking longer than she thought.
Chelsea said she planned to skip the wedding and head back home, to San Diego. That was the last time her parents heard from her.
“The magnitude of this adventure, … of driving across the country was a lot for Chelsea. We gave her a bunch of options,” Stephen said.
Chelsea was reportedly spotted at a hotel in Seligman, Arizona after the phone call with her parents. A witness said she seemed disoriented and was trying to use euros instead of U.S. currency.
On Sept. 28, a police officer, responding to a report of a woman acting suspiciously, found Chelsea in her car at a cemetery in Williams, Arizona. Chelsea told him she was working on a photography project about missing soldiers and had gotten emotional. She told the officer she planned to camp in her car that night.
On Sept. 30, a woodcutter saw Chelsea camping in her SUV near Ashfork, Arizona. He said she seemed OK. On Oct. 4, Chelsea’s parents reported her missing. On Oct. 5, hunters found Chelsea’s SUV abandoned in the middle of a dirt road near Ashfork.
Both tires on the right side of the SUV were flat. Her cellphone, wallet, clothing and sleeping bag were not in the car, and her pet bearded dragon was also missing, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Chelsea’s mom, Janet, said she thinks the fact that the bearded dragon is also missing is a “hopeful sign.” Janet also pointed out a tattoo on Chelsea’s left arm, a design of a vine with leaves on it.
“I think that the chances of people recognizing Chelsea are connecting the dots. If they see somebody with a bearded dragon, they’re going to take an extra look at that person. Because it’s unusual to be carrying around a bearded dragon, usually on her shoulder,” Janet said.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about the missing woman to contact them at 928-774-4523.
