Family members, Fresno police chief plead for public’s help in locating lost woman, 81

The children of Zillabell “Jane” Friesen, an 81-year-old Fresno woman missing since Tuesday morning, asked for the public’s help in finding their mother during a Saturday news conference held at the Fresno Police Department.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer began the conference by updating the public with the latest information regarding Friesen’s disappearance and what’s being done to find her.

“We are treating this as if Jane were our mother,” he said.

Friesen left her home at 3839 E. Huntington Blvd. at 9 a.m. She lives with her daughter, Melaney Shaum, who told police Friesen took chicken out of the freezer to thaw. She told her daughter she would be back in time to cook dinner — something she regularly did for the family.

Friesen did not tell Shaum exactly what her plans were, which was typical for her independent mother, Shaum said.

Dyer said the department’s Real Time Crime Center identified Friesen’s green 2006 Ford Escape SUV, license plate number 5PEV311, at the Foods Co grocery store at 4838 E. Kings Canyon Road shortly after she left the house. Surveillance footage showed Friesen getting gas at the store, then leaving. This is the last record of her that police have been able to find.

Dyer said that no charges or withdrawals on Friesen’s ATM or credit cards have been made since this trip. Her cell phone has been turned off since July 17, which Shaum said wasn’t uncommon; her mother only turned it on to use it.

A search of Friesen’s home yielded no evidence. She did not take any clothes, documents, medication or supplies with her, Dyer said.

Police have alerted law enforcement, media agencies and national parks throughout California of Friesen’s disappearance. Rangers at Sequoia National Park, a favorite vacation spot of Friesen’s, handed out fliers and searched the trail heads and parking lots for any sign of her or the SUV.

Friesen’s doctor told police that she was in great physical and mental health, Dyer said.

Friesen lost her husband 16 years ago at Casa de Fruta in Hollister. Police searched this area, believing she may have visited it given that the couple’s anniversary was last month. They found nothing.

Investigators have narrowed the disappearance down to four scenarios: Friesen doesn’t want to be found, a mental health ailment has manifested in the past week, she was involved in a crash, or there was foul play.

Dyer said he fears foul play most of all.

“If she doesn’t want to be found, we’d just ask her to call her family or police to let everyone know she is OK,” he said. “If anyone else has anything that may help us find her, we’d ask they call 911 immediately.”

Dyer said Fresno police receive reports of around 50 missing adults per month, but Friesen’s case was unusual due to the length of her disappearance.

Shaum said her mother gave no indication of wanting to escape the family or Fresno. There had been no recent arguments, and she had been in great spirits before she left.

“This is totally unusual,” Shaum said. “She is the last person to do something like this.”

Although her mother had begun to go out less and less, she still attended church regularly and took road trips out of state on her own, Shaum said. She added that her mother loved to knit and crochet hats, which she would donate to the Poverello House in downtown Fresno.

Susan Friesen Cameron, another of Friesen’s daughters, ended the news conference by thanking the Fresno Police Department for their search efforts. She also asked the public for help.

“Please help us find mom.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Fresno Police Department at (559) 621-2499.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Family members, Fresno police chief plead for public’s help in locating lost woman, 81."