Woman removed from missing persons list after she’s spotted on ‘The Bachelor’

One California newspaper’s recent attempt to locate missing residents yielded a surprising lead when a woman pictured in the feature article showed up on reality television.

As the North Coast Journal reported, Rebekah Martinez was one of 35 missing Humboldt County citizens included in the call to action. When readers were asked whether anyone looked familiar, some fans of ABC’s “The Bachelor” swore they knew her as a contestant on the long-running reality dating series.

The newspaper took that information to local authorities, who were soon in touch with the woman reported missing by her mother in November.

“I just got off the phone with Rebekah,” a Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy wrote in response to the inquiry. “She is in fact the same person.”

As CBS News reported, Martinez’s mother told deputies that her daughter told her she would see her in a week when she left for a job but never returned or contacted her.

Throughout the period during which she was on the missing persons list, Martinez has reportedly been active on social media. She apparently addressed the sudden media attention Friday in a tweet.

She is also featured on the website for the current season of “The Bachelor,” which was published after she was reported missing.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office offered additional context about her whereabouts since she was last seen by her mother.

“Martinez had reportedly come to Humboldt County to work on a marijuana farm,” Samantha Karges said. “Her mother hadn’t heard from her since Nov. 12, 2017.”

[Featured image: Rebekah Martinez/State of California Department of Justice]