Orange County sheriff's investigators Wednesday found a missing Laguna Hills woman's car in Aliso Viejo, a key discovery in the search for the woman who hasn't been seen since mid-February.
Deputies found 27-year-old Erica Alonso's white 2014 Honda Civic EX about 2 p.m. near Cedarbrook and Redwood in the Glenwood Park neighborhood, according to Orange County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock.
Her family said the fact she has still yet to be found gives them hope she could still be alive.
"It was very pleasant news ... to know that they found the car, even though we started shaking," said her father, Isaac Alonso Sr. "We thought she could be in the trunk dead or something. They told us she wasn't there and she is still missing. That gives us hope that she should still be alive out there."
Alonso was last seen leaving her boyfriend's home in Irvine about 3:45 a.m. on Feb. 15.
Alonso's mother, Margarita Alonso, spoke to reporters last month about her daughter's disappearance.
She said her missing daughter "was always a good girl; she was always in contact with us. That's why we started suspecting (something was wrong) when the next day, and the following day, she never called us or texted us or anything."
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Erica Alonso went out on a date with her on-again, off-again boyfriend on Feb. 14, and they met friends at the Sutra nightclub in Costa Mesa, according to Hallock.
Patricia Alonso said her sister met the boyfriend, who is in his 40s, for a lunch date that went into overtime. The sisters had planned to spend Valentine's Day night together watching "cheesy movies."
She said she found out her sister was at Sutra when she received a "Snapchat" update from her. The missing woman "befriended" another couple at the club and the four left together about 1:30 a.m. Feb. 15 to continue partying at Alonso's companion's home near Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue in Irvine, Hallock said.
Alonso and her date took a cab to Sutra, and she talked her new friends into giving her and her date a ride to his home, where they continued to party.
But Alonso and her boyfriend got into an argument and the other couple left about 3:45 a.m., Hallock said. Alonso left her boyfriend's home about 15 minutes later, and there has been no trace of her since, Hallock said.
There is no indication Alonso was depressed or had any other issues, he said. Investigators sought out the woman's boyfriend because he appears to be the last person to have seen her, Hallock said.
Everything he has told detectives has "checked out," Hallock said. Alonso and her boyfriend had dated for about two years before they broke up, according to her sister, who said the two continued to see each other and were working on their relationship.
Alonso, who lives with her mother and sister, is described as Latina, about 5 feet 3 and 110 pounds, with long brown hair and brown eyes, Hallock said.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts was urged to call (714) 647-7000, or (714) 647-7055. Anonymous tips may be made through Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.
