Sister of missing Pearl Pinson creates independent tip line 10 years after Vallejo kidnapping

SAN FRANCISCO - The family of Pearl Pinson has launched a new independent tip line this week, desperate for answers a decade after the 15-year-old vanished from Vallejo.

The backstory:

Her sister, Rose Pinson Rodriguez, has been searching for answers since the teenager was kidnapped under the Highway 780 overpass in May 2016 while walking to school. The armed suspect, 19-year-old Fernando Castro, dragged Pinson into a car, but what happened next remains unclear. Castro was shot and killed by police in Southern California the following day, leaving investigators with few answers.

No sign of Pearl, 10 years later

"I've been thinking about it for a while now," Pinson Rodriguez said. "And I was like, you know what, I'm going to get a phone, create a tip line. I already told the detectives before I did it."

What we know:

Pinson Rodriguez is manning the tip line entirely by herself. She hopes the initiative will encourage people to come forward who might otherwise hesitate to speak with law enforcement.

"I think it's just a better way," Pinson Rodriguez said. "You know for people that may know something that don't want to go to the police and they just come to me like, 'Hey, can you keep me anonymous?' That's what I would do."

Using information provided by detectives, Pinson Rodriguez identified a critical 22-hour window between May 25 and May 26 spanning from Petaluma to Bodega Bay where the pair could have been spotted.

"Since he's dead, there's nothing we can do," Pinson Rodriguez said. "That was just one area we knew he was going because of the directions that were found in his vehicle, the day he was killed."

Flyer spread between Sacramento and Bodega Bay

What you can do:

Pinson Rodriguez has created a flyer featuring images of the vehicle, descriptions, and the clothing worn during the incident, urging anyone with information to call. While no tips have been received yet, she noted that strangers have already begun sharing the flyer across Northern California and down to Bodega Bay.

"I would never give up, you know, even after my sister is found," Pinson Rodriguez said.

In addition to searching for her sister, Pinson Rodriguez is working with officials to rename the pedestrian bridge from which Pinson was taken.

"Our main goal is just to rename it after her memory, to tell her story, to help prevent child abduction and to teach people to be safe if they're in that situation," Pinson Rodriguez said.

Tip line: 707-685-6102

The tip line number is 707-685-6102, and a corresponding email address is 2016pearlteam@gmail.com for tipsters who don't want to call.

Missing PersonsVallejo