LAKE COUNTY – Family members and law enforcement are seeking information about the whereabouts of a missing Fremont couple who stopped in Lake County last weekend.
Ryan Barrett, his girlfriend Viola Liu and their three dogs left home for a camping trip on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 16, according to Barrett's uncle, Richard Jenkins of Corte Madera.
“They were scheduled to return home on Monday evening, Jan. 18,” said Jenkins. “We have not heard from them.”
Jenkins said his family filed a missing persons' report with the Fremont Police on Wednesday.
Barrett and Liu, both 31 years old, hadn't given their families a definite destination for their camping trip, according to Jenkins.
Family told Bay Area media that they had found evidence on Barrett's laptop that he had been looking at maps for various areas around Northern California.
The couple haven't answered their cell phones, which go straight to voice mail, according to information issued by the Fremont Police Department.
A small break in the case came when it was discovered that Liu's credit card was used for gas in Upper Lake on Jan. 16, according to Genevieve Glassy, Barrett's stepmother.
Jenkins said his nephew is familiar with the mountains. Barrett had with him a tent, sleeping bags, camping gear, dog food, freeze dried food and water.
“We think they may have been camping in the back country near Upper Lake and were caught in the recent storms,” Jenkins said.
That's a very real concern; Lake County Public Works reported on Friday that a portion of Elk Mountain Road was closed due to heavy snow, and as much as 3 feet of snow had fallen in that area as well as along Bartlett Springs Road. Four wheel drive with chains is required in both areas, where work to reopen the roads isn't scheduled to begin until Monday.
Barrett and Liu are driving a red 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with a red camper shell; the pickup's license plate number is 7P61451, according to the Fremont Police.
Barrett is a white male, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Liu is a Chinese-American woman, standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 130 pounds, with brown hair with highlights, and brown eyes.
The three dogs accompanying them include two huskies and a Labrador retriever, Jenkins said.
Jenkins said he'll be in Upper Lake area on Saturday to put up flyers in an attempt to help locate the couple.
Anyone with information about the couple is asked to call the Fremont Police Department at 510-790-6800, or dial 911 to contact local authorities, who also have been notified of the missing couple's possible presence in the county, Glassy said.
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