In 2021, She Entered A High-End Apartment Building In Los Angeles And Never Came Out, But Her Dog Was Later Found Alone On One Of The Floors
Heidi Planck was a 38-year-old mother from Downey, California, who loved her 11-year-old son more than anything. So, after she failed to show up for after-school pick-up on October 20, 2021, it was clear something had gone wrong.
Just a few days prior, on Sunday, October 17, things appeared fine from the outside. That afternoon, she went to her son’s football game as usual.
But Heidi wound up leaving at half-time. At that point, her ex-husband, Jim, recalled how she had seemed a bit “off.”
“She was a little bit antsy, yes. I don’t know why. All I know is that was the last time I saw her or talked to her,” He said.
Later that evening, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a surveillance camera captured footage of Heidi walking her dog, Seven, nearby the corner of Hope & Flower in downtown Los Angeles. Then, about 30 minutes later, the pup was found roaming around inside a high-end apartment building.
After that night, Heidi’s family members and friends tried reaching out to her. However, they never heard back, and it was not until she failed to pick up her 11-year-old son from school on October 20 that her loved ones grew worried.
Jim detailed how he and their son tried to contact Heidi via calls and texts various times between October 17 and October 20. While Jim recognized the lack of response was uncharacteristic, though, he admitted to feeling more frustrated than concerned.
But by Wednesday, October 20, Jim knew that Heidi would never miss her son’s school pick-up. So, he and their son waited for Heidi during afternoon pick-up– eager for an explanation about why she had lost contact.
After Heidi never turned up at school, though, Jim realized something was definitely wrong.
Facebook – pictured above is Heidi
He ultimately contacted the LAPD to file a missing person report that day. And after investigators got involved, they attempted to access the GPS in Heidi’s car, as well as the location services of her phone, laptop, and watch.
Strangely, though, the authorities discovered that all location services had been disabled. But Jim soon realized that Heidi’s dog, Seven, had a chip. So, they tracked the dog and finally obtained their first lead.
It was discovered that on the evening of October 17, a Hope & Flower resident discovered Seven roaming one of the apartment building’s upper floors. At that point, the resident reached out to the chip company and informed them that Seven had been located.
Using this information, investigators worked to access footage captured at Hope & Flower– which showed Heidi entering the building that evening. However, she never left, and authorities theorized that she might have attended a party in the building that night.
Still, the LAPD performed a wellness check at Heidi’s residence. And afterward, they searched the interior of her home. Everything was seemingly in order, though. But her laptop and phone had been left behind.
The authorities also recovered forensic evidence at Hope & Flower, which pushed the LAPD to conduct a weeks-long search effort at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. Investigators believed that something had happened to Heidi while at the party before she was put in a trash chute that led to a dumpster. In spite of this theory, though, the search efforts did not uncover any evidence of Heidi.
“She’s a devoted mom who would never, ever leave her son. We have a…boy at home that’s looking for his mom, and we just need to find her,” Jim said.
At the time of her disappearance, Heidi was five foot three, weighed 120 pounds, and had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey sweater with jeans and drove a 2017 Grey Range Rover with the California license plate number U840X0. Heidi would be 40 years old today.
If you have any information regarding Heidi’s disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the LAPD’s Missing Person Unit at (213) 996-1800.
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