SUN LAKES, Ariz. — Gabriel Cappetta sat exhausted in his grandfather's living room. His family gathered and silently sat as he talked about his mother, Julie Ann Cappetta, who's been missing since last Saturday.
“We haven’t found any clues, leads, nothing to point us in the right direction,” said Gabriel. "We don’t even have a place to start and couldn’t tell you if she’s alive or not. We are just struggling.”
His mother flew to Arizona from Pittsburgh on July 1 to visit her dad, Richard, in Sun Lakes. The family said she went for a walk Saturday morning around 9:30 a.m., while her father was out running errands.
When he returned hours later, there was no sign of his daughter but her cell phone, purse and identification were in the house.
“That’s not like her. She’d usually have her phone on her. She’d have an MP3 player to listen to music while she’s on her walk but to just leave the house with nothing on her isn’t right,” said Gabriel.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Gila River Police Department Investigating
“We’ve been on social media, especially with the missing and murdered indigenous women’s groups,” said Julie's sister-in-law, Patricia Henderson, who flew in from South Dakota to help with the search.
Julie is Lakota with family ties to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
The 53-year-old mother of two is 5'6", weighs 120 pounds, has brown hair with highlights and green eyes. The family said she was wearing a pink or lavender shirt, white shorts, and white tennis shoes.
MCSO confirmed with 12 News that her phone showed no recent activity in or out. Her family added that she hasn't used Facebook for years and her last communication was with Gabriel and his brother who both live in Pittsburgh.
$10K reward offered for information leading to Julie
Julie's family is pleading with the public for help finding her.
“I know coming forward can be a concerning factor for a lot of people and you might have second guesses but if you know anything, the slightest detail, anything will help,” said Gabriel.
The family is offering a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone with information leading to her.
“Please come home we miss you. We just want to know you’re ok.”
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call authorities immediately.
- Maricopa County Sheriff's Office: 602-876-1087
- Gila River Police Department: 520-562-4511
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