$20,000 Reward Offered in Search for Missing Girl, 7

Family members and parishioners of the church where the missing South Pasadena second-grader Phoebe Ho attends services have committed at least $20,000 to a reward fund for the safe return of the 7-year-old, who vanished while on her way to school Thursday.

George Brown, a resident of the neighborhood near the girl’s school, told a press conference Tuesday that the congregation of Holy Family Roman Catholic Church has raised $5,000 for the Find Phoebe Reward Fund. Relatives of the Ho family have committed enough to bring the fund to at least $20,000, he added.

Brown was joined in front of the missing girl’s school, Arroyo Vista Elementary, by officials from the South Pasadena Police Department, who said that they had yet to turn up any clues.

Police Cmdr. Mike Ward said that “sightings” of the girl had been reported in such cities as Torrance, Redondo Beach and West Covina.

“We don’t believe we have gotten any true sightings yet,” he said.

Hoping for More Leads

“We are hoping that the reward will give us more leads,” said state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), who also was present.

So far, law enforcement officials have little or no new evidence about Phoebe’s disappearance.”

Phoebe was last seen about 7:55 a.m. on El Centro Avenue, midway between her home and the school. Her parents reported her missing early that evening. She is described as being 3 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 40 pounds and is missing her two front teeth.

Brown said volunteer efforts to find the girl and to flood the community with flyers describing her will continue through the weekend.

Anyone with information on Phoebe Ho’s whereabouts is urged to call either the South Pasadena Police Department at (818) 799-1121, or the National Center for Missing Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.