In the winter of 2019, a well-loved 46-year-old high school teacher and mother of two, Elizabeth Breck, made the decision to seek help for her mental health. Friends and family described her as an outgoing and spiritual person, deeply involved in dance and her Buddhist faith, who was cherished within her Tucson, Arizona community. However, she had been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a previous sexual assault. On the advice of her psychiatrist, Elizabeth voluntarily admitted herself to the Sierra Tucson facility in Saddlebrooke, Arizona, on January 10, 2019, with plans to complete a 30-day trauma treatment program. Three days into her stay, on January 13, after an initial evaluation determined she was not a danger to herself or others, she was moved to the general living quarters, an area of the facility that was not under lockdown. That same afternoon, Elizabeth vanished.
The circumstances surrounding Elizabeth's disappearance are unsettling. She was reportedly last seen around 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 13, 2019. Later that day, staff at the Sierra Tucson facility realized she was gone. A search of her room revealed that she had left most of her personal belongings behind, including her car keys, cell phone, and clothing. Her medical tracking bracelet was found in her room, removed. It is believed that she only took her driver's license and an unknown amount of cash with her. Despite having her own car in the facility's parking lot, it appears she left the extensive 160-acre desert property on foot. Since that day, there has been a complete silence; no activity on her bank accounts and no contact with her two daughters or her close network of family and friends, which her family insists is highly uncharacteristic.
In the years following her disappearance, the search for answers has been fraught with frustration for Elizabeth's loved ones. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office conducted thorough searches of the facility and the vast surrounding desert area using K-9 units and air support, but found no trace of her. The family, desperate for answers, hired their own private investigators to conduct an independent search, which also proved fruitless. Elizabeth's family has been openly critical of the Sierra Tucson facility, alleging a lack of cooperation with their investigation and pointing to a lack of surveillance cameras on the property. They filed complaints against the treatment center with the Arizona Department of Health Services and a national accreditation agency. The case remains an active missing person investigation, a painful and unresolved mystery for a family and community still hoping for her return.
Last Seen: Jan 13, 2019
