Missing Sierra Nevada College Student Found Safe

Dianne Thacher, the 23-year-old Sierra Nevada College student whose family reported her missing last week and whose Honda CRV was found abandoned with a flat tire on Hollister Avenue last Tuesday, returned safely to her dorm room at Sierra Nevada College Tuesday afternoon, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Thacher met a male acquaintance when her Honda’s tire went flat on the 7600 block of Hollister Ave., the press release said. Her cell phone battery died soon after, and she stayed with the male acquaintance for several days. When Thacher left for home, he saw the media coverage reporting her missing, and he contacted the Sheriff’s Office.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada confirmed Tuesday that Thacher returned safe and uninjured to Sierra Nevada College.