Cops Comb Desert for Pair Who Vanished 8 Days Ago

High school sweethearts didn't turn up for work on June 22
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 30, 2015 7:57 AM CDT
Cops Comb Desert for Pair Who Vanished 8 Days Ago
Michael and Tina Careccia.   (Facebook)

Police and a host of volunteers are searching tirelessly for an Arizona couple who vanished eight days ago. Michael and Tina Careccia, high school sweethearts who married last year, left their home in Maricopa around 5am on June 22, but neither arrived at work; Michael, 44, is a United Airlines pilot and Tina, 42, is an accountant. Michael's 17-year-old son alerted the Pinal County Sheriff's Office around 7:15pm, and the couple's 2008 Honda Accord was found hours later not far from their home, reports the Arizona Republic. A family friend says the car was covered in dirt, which she found odd. Police have since scoured the desert but revealed little, though Michael's brother-in-law Geoff Dugan, who has been leading the search, suggests new information may be released, reports the Republic.

"It is important for the integrity of the investigation that we don't reveal what we have already learned until we reach a certain point in the investigation," investigators say. KPHO reports there has been no activity tied to the couple's phones, bank accounts, credit cards, or social media accounts. But "we're still optimistic. We're still looking," says Dugan, adding the search has uncovered "little tidbits and stuff here and there." A private investigator hired by Tina Careccia's family adds he's "turned up things that may or may not be related to the missing couple" but "I don't want to commit to [say] what they actually are." Michael's son previously said he didn't suspect foul play because "I don't see what the motive would be." In a statement last week, police noted Tina Careccia is not linked to a recent bank robbery in Mesa, despite her resemblance to a suspect in a surveillance photo. Some $4,000 in reward money is now up for grabs. (More missing person stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X