Authorities are urgently searching for a Korean-American man after a woman was found dead in her Northern California home, and her two children went missing. The man, identified as 38-year-old Cameron Lee, is the father of the missing siblings and has recently crossed the border into Mexico.
The Sacramento Police Department reported on July 9 that 28-year-old Angelica Bravo, an Asian-American woman, was discovered deceased in a home on the 3700 block of Didcot Circle at approximately 7:30 p.m. the previous day. Following this discovery, police realized that Bravo’s two children, 4-year-old Athena Lee and 2-year-old Matteo Lee, were missing, prompting a search for their whereabouts. The police have not identified Bravo and Lee as a couple.
Efforts to contact Cameron Lee shortly after the incident were unsuccessful. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have joined the search for Lee, who was last seen driving a 2023 Honda Pilot SUV across the border into Mexico.
Initially, an Amber Alert was not issued because Lee’s vehicle had already crossed into Mexico, and authorities believed the siblings were with their father. However, on July 11, police suggested the possibility that the children might have been dropped off somewhere in Southern California. Consequently, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for several counties, including Fresno, Kern, Kings, Merced, Orange, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
As of July 10, local broadcast station KCRA3 reported that police had not yet identified Lee as a suspect in Bravo’s death, although the possibility of homicide has not been ruled out. The family of the deceased woman is desperate for the safe return of the siblings.
A reward of $1,000 has been offered for information leading to the discovery of the missing children. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sacramento Police Department at 916-808-0560 or via email at missingpersons@pd.cityofsacramento.org.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
