Crews Conduct Search At Pond Week After Mom's Disappearance

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - Crews trying to figure out what happened to a 34-year-old Colorado mother who disappeared a week ago have started searching at a pond in Longmont.

The pond is located in Golden Ponds Park near the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Hover Street, which is approximately two miles west of where Rita Gutierrez-Garcia was last seen.

Gutierrez-Garcia disappeared early in the morning on March 18 after leaving a downtown bar. She had been partying with friends to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Police officers, firefighters and members of the city's emergency unit are involved in Saturday's search. It involves dive teams and search dogs.

"We've been here since approximately 9 a.m. We do not have any updates and will stay at the pond until we can rule it out," said Jeff Satur, a spokesman for Longmont emergency services.

Just before she went missing, Gutierrez-Garcia was apparently on her cellphone in a parking lot behind 3's bar when she told her friends that she would get a ride home. They told police they didn't know who she was speaking with.

Gutierrez-Garcia was described as being 5-foot-7 and weighing 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with black leggings. If anyone has information about where she might be, they are asked to contact the Longmont Police Department at (303) 651-8501.