Family members of a 35-year-old Utah woman who disappeared from a beach party in Santa Cruz County earlier this month are speaking out, alleging that her boyfriend, who was traveling with her, is “abusive” and “manipulative.”
Danielle Staley was reportedly last seen with a group of people on November 6. before 11:30 p.m. at Rio del Mar State Beach, about 10 miles east of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
November 9 in a press release, officials said, “New information indicates that she may be at risk and that foul play may be involved.”
Investigators said the 35-year-old came to California’s Central Coast with her boyfriend Axl Nunez, 62, near the end of October and stayed in a camper near the beach.
Her belongings were later found on the beach, although she was not there. Although authorities said there was no indication she had entered the ocean the night she disappeared, sheriff’s investigators repeatedly flew drones along the coast looking for any sign of her.
In an interview with Utah television’s KSBW, Staley’s mother, April Miller, said her daughter and Nunez had been in an on-again, off-again relationship for about 13 years. “We’ve been worried for years,” she said of the 62-year-old, describing him as “very abusive” moments before Staley’s brother stepped in to call him “manipulative.”
Nunez has denied involvement in his girlfriend’s disappearance and says he offered to take a polygraph test.
Speaking to KSBW, the 62-year-old said he didn’t attend the beach bonfire because he has asthma, but fell asleep in the van over the holidays.
“When I woke up she wasn’t there so I’m saying there’s cameras there, there’s a whole private unit that’s nothing but cameras and someone has to be on video surveillance, cars going in and out from about 11 o’clock until six in the morning,” he said.
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Danielle Staley, 35, was spotted on GoFundMe by her sister, Airica Staley, in this undated photo.
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Rio Del Mar Beach in Santa Cruz County can be seen in this Google Maps image.
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Danielle Staley, 35, of Utah, is seen in this undated photo. (SCCSO)
Nunez was interviewed several times by Santa Cruz County investigators. His van is believed to still be in storage at the sheriff’s office while it is searched for evidence.
Nunez, who has not been named as a suspect, said he decided to speak out about the situation after receiving criticism on social media over the couple’s history of domestic violence. He suggested that Staley may have relapsed and was with other drug users and that the focus should be on finding the 35-year-old, not him.
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“I’m not going to stop until I find her, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
Airica Staley, the missing woman’s sister, told GoFundMe that she had been with her sister and their stepfather since Nov. 12. was in the area where the 35-year-old woman went missing, working closely with law enforcement and handing out flyers in hopes of finding her.
Staley is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds with blond hair. She was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and leopard print leggings.
The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office has not released an update on the search since last week, but urged anyone with information about her disappearance and/or whereabouts to contact investigators at 831-471-1121.
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