CENTRALIA, Wash. — The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a woman who has been missing since Saturday.
Elizabeth Pham, 33, is from Centralia. She was last seen on Oct. 10.
Pham, a mother of three, may be suffering from postpartum depression, according to her family.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office said it is believed Pham left her car on I-5 in Toledo Saturday morning, and then walked to GeeCees Truck Stop, where she tried to get a ride with a truck driver who was heading to Redding, CA.
An employee of GeeCees stopped her from getting into the truck cab and called a taxi for her. Once the taxi arrived, Pham asked the taxi driver to take her to Olympia. The taxi driver first stopped at Pham's car so she could retrieve some personal items. Police said the taxi driver described Pham's behavior as “unusual and confused."
Instead of going to Olympia, Pham was then dropped off at the Shell Station at exit 59 in Toldeo. She went into the Shell station, but did not buy anything and stayed in the store for about 20 minutes. Witnesses say she then walked to Beasley’s restaurant, where she placed an order.
From there, a witness reported seeing a woman later in the day, matching Pham's description, sitting under the overpass at exit 59, staring into the Cowlitz River.
Pham's car was found unlocked with the keys inside along southbound Interstate 5 near milepost 59, in Toledo, on Saturday evening by the Washington State Patrol.
On Sunday, a makeup bag identified as Pham's was turned into the Castle Rock Police Department after a fisherman located it downriver from the area where Pham was last seen. Detectives are trying to determine how the makeup bag ended up where it was found.
“At this time, we do not know what happened to Elizabeth. There are a lot of possibilities that need to be examined. Elizabeth may have gotten a ride out of the area, and be gone on her own volition, we just don’t know at this time. Detectives will be obtaining and reviewing video surveillance from businesses near the areas she was reported to be and will be coordinating a search of the river and riverbanks as well. Our detectives will continue to work diligently on this case," said Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey.
Anyone who knows her whereabouts is asked to call Lewis County Sheriff’s Detective Jeremy Almond at 360-748-9286.