Foul play suspected in woman’s disappearance, public’s help sought

QUARTZ HILL – Foul play is suspected in the disappearance of a Quartz Hill woman reported missing more than two years ago, detectives said Tuesday.

Family members last saw Michelle Russ on the night of May 9, 2013, when she left her Quartz Hill home to meet up with some friends she had met earlier that day, according to her sister, Christine Russ.

Michelle never returned home.

The young mother has not contacted any family members since she disappeared May 9, 2013, and the case has been reassigned from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit to its homicide bureau, according to Cold Case Detective Steve Lankford.

Michelle was last seen in the Quartz Hill area, the detective said.

“She left with people she knew, but there’s a good possibility that there was foul play involved,” Lankford said. “Some information has come in that certain people that knew her might have information, but some of these people are reluctant at this time to talk. And there’s some other information that she might have been forced and taken out of the state, but that hasn’t been confirmed,” the detective added.

Michelle Russ is a white female with blue eyes and blond hair who is approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 125 pounds. She was last seen wearing black pants and a dark shirt (either purple or blue). She was 26 years old at the time of her disappearance.

“If anybody out in the public has any information on Michelle Russ, I strongly encourage them to call. They can remain anonymous,” Lankford said.

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Michelle Russ is urged to contact Detective Steve Lankford at the Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

–

Previous related story: Help distraught family members find Michelle Russ