AZ CHELSEA GRIMM: Missing from Williams, AZ during trip from California to Connecticut - 28 Sept 2023 - Age 32 (1 Viewer)

Woman on cross-country trip missing, hasn't been seen in weeks

Authorities in Arizona are searching for a missing woman who disappeared, reportedly while driving from San Diego to Connecticut.

ktxs.com

Woman on cross-country trip missing, hasn't been seen in weeks
Authorities in Arizona are searching for a missing woman who disappeared, reportedly while driving from San Diego to Connecticut.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said Chelsea Grimm was last seen on Sept. 28 in Williams, Ariz., though “she was possibly with her vehicle” on Sept. 30.

Grimm’s car was found by hunters on Oct. 5. They called to report a suspicious vehicle northeast of Ashfork, Ariz.



MEDIA - CHELSEA GRIMM: Missing from Williams, AZ during trip from California to Connecticut - 28 Sept 2023 - Age 32

 

[Tresir]

No mention of cell.phone? Presumably she had one. Is there any known last location?

 

[Tresir]

Last sighting of Chelsea. The video upthread, Truth Be Found, post #15, is good and mentions at approx 11 mins in that her cell phone was last used 28th/29th of Sept and that appears to be a similar date to when the police interviewed her in her car on the 28th after she had been photographing a war memorial. (That interview is in the video below approx 4 mins in.) The officer advised her she could not sleep in her car in the city limits and gave her details of a nearby truck stop where she could sleep in her car. She said she would check it out. Did she go to that truck stop and something happen and/or she met someone there? I don't know if this has been posted on here before. Parents also mention in the interview she went thru a break up before this trip.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Last sighting of Chelsea. The video upthread, Truth Be Found, post #15, is good and mentions at approx 11 mins in that her cell phone was last used 28th/29th of Sept and that appears to be a similar date to when the police interviewed her in her car on the 28th after she had been photographing a war memorial. (That interview is in the video below approx 4 mins in.) The officer advised her she could not sleep in her car in the city limits and gave her details of a nearby truck stop where she could sleep in her car. She said she would check it out. Did she go to that truck stop and something happen and/or she met someone there? I don't know if this has been posted on here before. Parents also mention in the interview she went thru a break up before this trip.

Wish I had time to take a look. I may, will see.

You know, there is also a possible of a cop. I mean it wouldn't be the first time such has happened. I'd have to really refresh on the case to see if anything can be ruled out like that but whoever talked to her knew her to be alone and perhaps in situation... However, the truck stop if she went is a possibility too, and so on. Her car was not found at the truck stop though right?

As I said above, I really don't know what to think in this one. I haven't ruled out voluntarily missing either OR willingly went with someone but then it became bad or involuntary... I did skim some of the posts above refreshing and the tweet or whatever it was that said if this was an abduction, it sure was a polite abductor... Lizard, car, etc.. The other one I noted but I would have to read all and get all in context was monitoring use of her credit cards or such and yet they never say if there has been any activity...

you know how in some cases we have seen they did voluntarily disappear and in most they can get the person to at least let them inform the family they are alive so they can quit living in fear, and not dead, but don't let them be told WHERE they are? well, I am sure if an adult the person can probably also insist the family not even be told that. I don't think most would be that cruel and LE would encourage them to let them let family just know they are alive but who knows....

Not saying I think that, just saying I am not sure of anything in this one or what scenario applies...

if I recall she was traveling cross country with hardly any money to attend a wedding or some such no? Recent break up as you said. No place to stay most likely or money... Lizard with her...

Things known imo she was definitely alone and vulnerable, probably little money I mean she did not plan on getting a hotel. Break up. She was 32, did she really want to go or move home or even attend whatever wedding? But then there is an LE officer, a truck stop,and mention of many hunters...

A pretty confusing one. Why don't they know more by now, a year later. Or do they?

Another thing is if there were so many hunters in the area, etc. and cops even came across her, well then one would think there would be other sightings of her...

Again, I would have to refresh on all but I remember the basics and don't think this one has much to go on yet...

 

[Tresir]

Wish I had time to take a look. I may, will see.

You know, there is also a possible of a cop. I mean it wouldn't be the first time such has happened. I'd have to really refresh on the case to see if anything can be ruled out like that but whoever talked to her knew her to be alone and perhaps in situation... However, the truck stop if she went is a possibility too, and so on. Her car was not found at the truck stop though right?

As I said above, I really don't know what to think in this one. I haven't ruled out voluntarily missing either OR willingly went with someone but then it became bad or involuntary... I did skim some of the posts above refreshing and the tweet or whatever it was that said if this was an abduction, it sure was a polite abductor... Lizard, car, etc.. The other one I noted but I would have to read all and get all in context was monitoring use of her credit cards or such and yet they never say if there has been any activity...

you know how in some cases we have seen they did voluntarily disappear and in most they can get the person to at least let them inform the family they are alive so they can quit living in fear, and not dead, but don't let them be told WHERE they are? well, I am sure if an adult the person can probably also insist the family not even be told that. I don't think most would be that cruel and LE would encourage them to let them let family just know they are alive but who knows....

Not saying I think that, just saying I am not sure of anything in this one or what scenario applies...

if I recall she was traveling cross country with hardly any money to attend a wedding or some such no? Recent break up as you said. No place to stay most likely or money... Lizard with her...

Things known imo she was definitely alone and vulnerable, probably little money I mean she did not plan on getting a hotel. Break up. She was 32, did she really want to go or move home or even attend whatever wedding? But then there is an LE officer, a truck stop,and mention of many hunters...

A pretty confusing one. Why don't they know more by now, a year later. Or do they?

Another thing is if there were so many hunters in the area, etc. and cops even came across her, well then one would think there would be other sightings of her...

Again, I would have to refresh on all but I remember the basics and don't think this one has much to go on yet...

I was wondering if she went to the truck stop and spent the night, ( she mentions wanting to go back to get more cemetery photos in the morning) maybe she picked up a hiker who did something to her and stole her car, dumped her and her phone and belongings somewhere on the way to the car being parked, locked and disabled by the two flat tyres. One flat is understandably an accident but two? I wonder if LE checked the car for prints and DNA? I also don't know why the relatives did not retrieve the car. One hunter claims he saw her but that in itself is dodgy. Why only one who saw her?

 

[GrandmaBear]

I was wondering if she went to the truck stop and spent the night, ( she mentions wanting to go back to get more cemetery photos in the morning) maybe she picked up a hiker who did something to her and stole her car, dumped her and her phone and belongings somewhere on the way to the car being parked, locked and disabled by the two flat tyres. One flat is understandably an accident but two? I wonder if LE checked the car for prints and DNA? I also don't know why the relatives did not retrieve the car. One hunter claims he saw her but that in itself is dodgy. Why only one who saw her?

I would have to refresh for some of this, for instance, I forget the cemetery thing? Two flat tires is ODD. Not sure about what you mean with relatives retrieving car, wouldn't LE take it since she disappeared? Again I read some posts quickly yesterday but did not refresh on entire case...

One hunter only is odd if so many and maybe they do have suspect/s but it has been a year with little news...

You know the credit card thing? It can't be being used for a year and not paid and still used... I mean it would be delinquent. Did they ever say no activity or just leave it as they were monitoring such? It may be a nothing thing, again I did not go all the way back and read all links, etc. but just saw that not that far up above but probably was some time ago since this is not an active or well talked thread since no news, etc.

What I recall and the bit refreshed on, it is really a difficult one to have a strong opinion on.

Also if she went to the truck stop would there not be gas station video? I mean maybe they have such and we just don't know. Her car was not found there, we know that...

Truckers hunters and cops. That's what we KNOW was around her IF she made it to the truck stop as to truckers.

Williams AZ so I decided to look at a map quick. So it is west of Flagstaff (Grand Canyon area, been there), NW of Sedona been there. The map I am looking at, I should not be taking any time right now but readying for work lol, does not show miles but I have been from Cottonwood through Sedona to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff area, etc. Since I have I have an idea of distance from there. Hour maybe? Two? Temp can change from Sedona to Flagstaff quite a bit. No point there.. It is I would say a not very populated area, maybe someone can find a better map but I mean Williams. Of course it may be a route re trucking etc.

Yeah, population is a bit over 3 thousand, not many. However, it is only about 35 minutes to Flagstaff, population about 76K. None of this means anything just trying to get some ideas where this actually is, etc. It would be fairly rural where she was if like here or even my other state. You can be 40 minutes from a small city like that and your area is pretty small town.

So with no time to look since she was out of town I believe? The cop was probably county... Did she have Cali plates I would guess? I really am pushing things re getting off to work. I don't know if any of this matters but gives some context. Next thing I also would do is see how close she was to the Cali/AZ border. Again doesn't mean anything just getting context and you have a woman alone, going to sleep in her vehicle with a plate from Cali. I have no direction with this, just wondering some things including how major of a trucking route and so forth, how big the truck stop, anything like that. All of it.

 

[GrandmaBear]

QUICK search, it looks like Williams AZ is 300 to 400 miles minimum to Cali. I asked for closest point but not sure I am getting closest point... IF correct, she was like 400 miles into AZ. Okay.

Is there any idea of what her trip was like up til then? And what part of Cali did she leave from? I am really running out of time. And not sure any of it matters, just thoughts. Getting bearings on the case. She had a break up. That I think is significant but who knows if it plays in... Break ups are hard, was she okay in her head or reeling over it... She is far enough from "home" in Cali if that is where he lived that one would think he had nothing to do with anything...

 

[Tresir]

This article has a little more detail.

Missing California Woman Chelsea Grimm Spotted ‘Disoriented’ at Hotel, Disappears During Cross-country Wedding Trip

Chelsea Grimm, a California woman who vanished during a cross-country trip appeared disoriented at an Arizona hotel earlier this month, according to what a witness told police. A witness described 33-yer-old Grimm as “confused” at a hotel in Seligman, after she called her parents about...

www.crimeonline.com

Chelsea Grimm, a California woman who vanished during a cross-country trip appeared disoriented at an Arizona hotel earlier this month, according to what a witness told police.

A witness described 33-yer-old Grimm as “confused” at a hotel in Seligman, after she called her parents about abandoning her cross-country trip to a Connecticut wedding and returning to California instead.

On September 27, Grimm contacted her parents and canceled the trip, telling her parents that she would be camping a few days in Arizona before returning to Ocean Beach, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

“I just don’t think I can do this by myself,” she told her parents.

Sheriff Jim Driscoll said Grimm canceled lunch plans with a friend on September 27, that she had planned to meet on September 28, CBS 8 reports. Later that day, the witness saw her at the Seligman hotel.

“We were told by one individual that she seemed confused when she was in Seligman. She was trying to exchange euros as opposed to US currency,” Driscoll told CBS8.

Photo via Coconino County Sheriff’s Office
On September 28, an officer spoke to Grimm at a cemetery in Williams, Arizona, following a call about a woman acting suspicious. Grimm reportedly told the officer that she became emotional while working on a photo project concerning missing soldiers, adding that she planned to sleep in her vehicle, a white Ford Escape, that night.

“I just was doing a photo shoot of the lost soldiers and got a little emotional, so I was crying before I got back on the road,” Grimm told the officer, according to police body cam footage obtained by azfamily.com.

On September 30, a wood cutter reported seeing Grimm while she camped overnight in her SUV in Ashfork, Arizona. He reportedly said the she appeared to be fine.

“[He] talked to her around noon. And said she was fine and said she didn’t need any help. And she was out taking photographs,” Driscoll said.


When her parents didn’t hear from her for several days, they called the Phoenix Police Department and reported her missing on October 4. On October 5, a hunter found her abandoned vehicle on a forest service road near Ashfork in the Kaibab National Forest.

“It’s unlike her, she over communicates,” Grimm’s mother, Janet, said.

Police said they didn’t find Grimm or the bearded dragon in the SUV, and noted that her wallet, sleeping bag and some clothes were missing. He car was locked, police said, with two flat tires and her camera locked inside the vehicle.

There has been no activity on her cellphone or debit card since her disappearance, police said.

Grimm’s Bearded Dragon/Coconino County Sheriff’s Office
“The magnitude of this adventure, … of driving across the country was a lot for Chelsea. We gave her a bunch of options,” her father, Stephen, previously told NewsNation.

Grimm is described as a white female who stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs around 135 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes. Janet added that Grimm has a vine with leaves tattoo on her left arm.

Investigators are trying to determine if she left with someone in another vehicle or hiked away.

“We focus on both the person who is potentially lost or that there’s foul play, or that they chose voluntarily to get a ride,” Driscoll said, adding that they didn’t receive a call regarding car trouble.

Anyone with information on Grimm’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523.

 

[Tresir]

Looks like some new bodycam footage has been released. (I haven't watched it yet.)

This forest guy has verbal diarrhoea.

He mentions others up there like druggies and ravers and partying and it is worth a listen. It reminds me a little of the guy who left a rave about 4:30 a.m. and was never seen again except for a neat pile of his clothes. She left a dress hanging on a tree.

 

[Tresir]

QUICK search, it looks like Williams AZ is 300 to 400 miles minimum to Cali. I asked for closest point but not sure I am getting closest point... IF correct, she was like 400 miles into AZ. Okay.

Is there any idea of what her trip was like up til then? And what part of Cali did she leave from? I am really running out of time. And not sure any of it matters, just thoughts. Getting bearings on the case. She had a break up. That I think is significant but who knows if it plays in... Break ups are hard, was she okay in her head or reeling over it... She is far enough from "home" in Cali if that is where he lived that one would think he had nothing to do with anything...

i think she left from San Diego but will check.

Yep! San Diego. Map from post #1.

Grimm’s car was found by hunters on Oct. 5. They called to report a suspicious vehicle northeast of Ashfork, Ariz.

MEDIA - CHELSEA GRIMMx: Missing from Williams, AZ during trip from California to Connecticut - 28 Sept 2023 - Age 32

Last edited: Oct 19, 2023

She left on the 24th and had only travelled 429 miles in 4 or 5 days. Its almost 3k miles to Connecticutt so at the rate she is doing, it would take her nearly a month.

 

[GrandmaBear]

i think she left from San Diego but will check.

Yep! San Diego. Map from post #1.

Grimm’s car was found by hunters on Oct. 5. They called to report a suspicious vehicle northeast of Ashfork, Ariz.

MEDIA - CHELSEA GRIMMx: Missing from Williams, AZ during trip from California to Connecticut - 28 Sept 2023 - Age 32

Last edited: Oct 19, 2023

She left on the 24th and had only travelled 429 miles in 4 or 5 days. Its almost 3k miles to Connecticutt so at the rate she is doing, it would take her nearly a month.


View attachment 23046

Okay re a couple of your posts, first of all this one. 400 miles in FOUR days? Something is up right there imo. Why?? I mean I like to take my time but that's making NO TIME. Most people would make 400 in a day easy but if sole driver, I mean maybe four hours with some stops is enough for you.

Then in your other post with the article, they confirm no activity on her phone or debit card since her disappearance which is not good. I mean we could say they don't say it wasn't found, didn't ping, just "no activity" and a debit card does not cover credit cards or cash being used so it could be semantics but it SOUNDS like no activity they can find is more likely...

She took four days and told her folks she was going to camp a few days, she told the cop she was going to sleep in her car yet someone saw her at a motel. And what is this Euros thing?

This is a strange one but I can say as a female I don't care of what age, i'd be darned if I would be camping or sleeping my car out on some rural path or dirt road etc.. I'd never feel safe. Not not near home, in another state, area, etc...

Was she trying to stick near home and wanting to connect with whoever she broke up with and hoping not to go home to family....? Could he have possibly been along or connected with her at some point? Did she connect with someone else all upset over the breakup (acting out like that is not unheard, a rebound guy, getting your mind off it).... Foul play is OF course a possibility but her lack of progress and her own actions are odd BEFORE she went missing... I haven't watched the hunter you call ____ mouth. Too tired to spell it...

There are also things here they have to know we don't. She was seen at a motel, confused, with euros... LE has to know if she stayed at the motel, how she paid, etc..

She, her sleeping bag, debit card, phone were all missing, car locked but two flats odd... It seems to match telling her parents she was going to camp in the area for a few days. WEll I know what I would say to my daughter about that UNLESS with a group of friends, uhm WHAT???? No you are NOT. I don't care if they are 22 or 32. I see nothing about a tent, just a sleeping bag...

I can see almost ANY scenario in this one I swear. I can see her going missing willingly too, I really can...

It's been a year why no progress by now and maybe there is but there certainly are no arrests, no suspects named, and so on...

Actually it says she left San Diego on the 24th and last seen on the 30th no, so in SIX days that is all the progress she had made...

One thing is clear, she is not wanting to get anywhere fast and that makes me think she wasn't wanting to get there at all.

I am wondering about drugs or mental health issues (not as an insult) but the confusion if true, the lack of progress, etc... LE responded to a female acting odd but per her she was just crying over the dead soldiers. Actually they said suspicious behavior. Not sure crying is suspicious...

Officer recommended a truck stop yet she told parents she was going to camp, had been in a motel earlier in the day, and why wouldn't they recommend a motel and ask if she had means to stay in one rather than a truck stop?

And again a camping story, a staying in her vehicle story, and seen at a motel earlier, trying to exchange Euros...

There are other things LE would obviously know like how much was in her bank account, if she even had money to use her debit card and so on, I am sure they have info from the motel, etc. And ton more.

AND traveling cross country to begin with allegedly for a wedding is a bit hard to believe. And this is all the way across country.

Her own behavior is odd up to this point...

There was one a few years ago, darned if I could ever recall the case or name, kind of similar, but I think younger like early 20s maybe or whatever... She too got how far, and then no sightings... I can't recall how it turned out except that one I was really leaning towards she went missing and it may have been found she did, intentionally...

Do we know any background here? How long in CA, had she just got home from somewhere in Europe to have euros, did she work, etc.?

In some I don't have an opinion and in this one I don't have any strong one. It's not often but does happen.

She though herself was acting odd right through this from all of this info... Still of course does not mean foul play could not have occurred.

One last thing how many euros was she trying to convert...?

WAs she staying there or just trying to do that at the hotel or motel?

When we went to Mexico, in the big hotels you could exchange dollars for pesos and vice versa at the main desk... And HOW many euros and how much cash did she have on her...

Quite the head scratcher yet I'd almost suspect with all this, LE has a clue if all is above board with the investigation, just not enough or something...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators still seeking answers in Grimm case

As hunting season rolls around in northern Arizona, investigators of the Chelsea Grimm missing person case are asking hunters to keep their eyes peeled for anything unusual while they conduct

www.williamsnews.com

As hunting season rolls around in northern Arizona, investigators of the Chelsea Grimm missing person case are asking hunters to keep their eyes peeled

Paywall

 

[GrandmaBear]

I'd just note it is a case that has never taken off or gotten much attention for some reason... Not always but often it is family that makes that difference... Not always though. I can think of a few parents who try like heck to get help and attention for their adult children who are missing, to no avail. Not sure if this family has. CAn't recall but seems not.

 

[Ranch]

This is a long but really good video by "The Missing Enigma" YouTube channel. His videos on the missing are always good.

Apparently Chelsea had some mental heath issues that could be a factor. She lived in San Diego but was from Connecticut. She was traveling there to see her parents and attend a good friends wedding. She decided to drive because she wanted to be with her pet bearded dragon Rosie and found out she couldn't go with her on a plane.

After leaving on this trip she called her mom and told her she didn't want to go to the wedding and was going to camp out for awhile before heading back to San Diego. No reason for the cancellation was given.

The video goes through a detailed timeline of police and others who had contact with her during her time in Arizona. This video is worth the watch when time is available.

 

[Tresir]

This reminds me of the woman who drove from Klamath Falls to go across the country but never got very far. Her body was found in May. Her car was located initially near a washed out road, but it took more than a month to find her.

Kaylee Birt.

Link to her thread.

OR Post in thread 'KAYLEE BIRT: Missing from Fields, OR (while on road trip from Oregon to Iowa) - 4 April 2025 - Age 29 *Found Deceased*'

May 4, 2025

I think they have her age wrong in this report, she was 29. But it does seem to confirm it is her. Very sad, but she will be going back to Iowa anyway, may she RIP.

Remains of a missing southwest Iowa woman are found in Oregon « KJAN | Radio Atlantic, IA – AM 1220

www.kjan.com

Remains of a missing southwest Iowa woman are found in Oregon​

News​

May 4th, 2025 by Ric Hanson​

(Burns, OR) – Officials with the Harney County, Oregon Sheriff’s Department, late Saturday night, said the...

• GrandmaBear

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Two years since disappearance, Chelsea Grimm case remains a mystery

Two years ago, Chelsea Grimm, a 32 year old from San Diego, went missing in the Kaibab National Forest near Williams.

www.williamsnews.com

Two years since disappearance, Chelsea Grimm case remains a mystery​

This week marks two years since Chelsea Grimm went missing in the Kaibab National Forest near Williams. (Photo/CCSO)


Two years ago, Chelsea Grimm, a 32 year old from San Diego, went missing in the Kaibab National Forest near Williams.

After an intensive two-weeklong initial search and rescue effort failed to find Grimm, and no leads proving to be fruitful, the case has now seemingly become a thing of the past in the public eye.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Have to subscribe and pay to read it. At least that's what I got when trying to access the article.

Not sure what I think about the statement the case being a thing of the past in the public eye. Seems more likely it is that way with LE, not the public. If there is any truth to it, it is due to lack of news and updates from LE and her family needs to do what they can to keep it in the news and public eye but when no news, that's not easy to do. Honestly, this case never had a lot of attn at any time that I recall compared to some. I think I mentioned that above.

 

[Ranch]

Have to subscribe and pay to read it. At least that's what I got when trying to access the article.

Not sure what I think about the statement the case being a thing of the past in the public eye. Seems more likely it is that way with LE, not the public. If there is any truth to it, it is due to lack of news and updates from LE and her family needs to do what they can to keep it in the news and public eye but when no news, that's not easy to do. Honestly, this case never had a lot of attn at any time that I recall compared to some. I think I mentioned that above.

I agree.

The video I linked above two months ago from "The Missing Enigma" has received 288,000 views to date. That's a lot of people recently interested in Chelsea's disappearance.

 

[Tresir]

Coming back to take another look at this i see she was crying when seen by the police officer and she said she got emotional looking at the soldier's graves. She did not go to the motel the officer recommended and i am now of the opinion she went into the wilderness with her bearded dragon and let it loose and then either committed suicide or died of exposure. Thinking about the two deflated tyres made me also think she let them down or just got unlucky, had no money to get them fixed, had no money for a motel and depression caused her to kill herself.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I agree.

The video I linked above two months ago from "The Missing Enigma" has received 288,000 views to date. That's a lot of people recently interested in Chelsea's disappearance.

That is a lot for any case. I was going to watch that video but never got around to it.

You know, when I came in I read a handful of the last posts to refresh myself.

The two flat tires stuck out out to me, maybe it has before, I can't recall, but they did now. I didn't read the entire thread just the last few posts and info. Very odd to have two flats imo. What did we know of the car, if it was old and she didn't take care of it, she could have had bad tires but it still seems unusual. She took her purse, etc. and locked her camera in the car. To me, that says she wouldn't have went into the wilderness but was likely walking for help OR got in with someone who offered help and a ride and took her purse and such.

Several people had encountered her and knew she was a woman alone...

@Tresir I saw your post come through as I was working on this one. My thoughts differ but I agree that things seem to indicate she had no funds but then how was she even hoping to do a cross country trip where she'd need gas, etc.? If her car was in bad shape, I'd think her parents would discourage the plan.

This entire thing is odd and I lean towards abduction BUT she could have staged that and done as you said. And by abduction I mean someone offered her a ride to a motel or repair shop or to buy tires and she accepted, locking up her car and camera, taking her purse, dragon, etc. but the guy had no intent of taking her for help... At least that's what things SEEM to indicate... If she staged it and committed suicide, why ever would she want her parents thinking she was abducted or never knowing what happened to her... But then who knows what was in her head...

I started this post yesterday and then had four in home appts in a row for a very busy day and never got back to finishing it until this morning.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Also, the crying stood out to me too. Was the reason really the one she gave...