Missing person found after catastrophic incident in prescot

“Part of the reason that I’m trying so hard — other than of course, she’s family — to find her, is that my father passed away a few years ago and that was his last living sibling,” Cassandra Mullican said. “I know my dad would be cutting down trees to find her, that’s who he was.”

Cassandra’s aunt, 66-year-old Yvonne Mullican, has been missing for weeks. Cassandra feels like she needs to help as much as she can, because it’s what her dad would have done if he were here. “I definitely have to try and at least get it out there so people can see and get as much exposure as possible for him and for her,” she said.

Yvonne, who had her two dogs with her when she disappeared, was officially reported missing on April 4, 2024.

Dateline spoke with Lieutenant Jason Kaufman of the Prescott Valley Police Department, who oversees the Support Services Division and the Public Information Office for the department.

He confirmed that Yvonne was reported missing by one of her daughters who lives in another state. “Last time she talked to her mother was Tuesday, April 2, 2024, on the phone,” he said.

Lieutenant Kaufman said that authorities attempted to contact Yvonne but were unable to track her down. They entered her information into NCIC, the National Crime Information Center — which is an “index of missing persons and criminal information.” The lieutenant said they also put out a BOLO for her car, a 2012 Kia Sorrento.

“Her car was found three weeks later,” niece Cassandra said. “It’s silver and on the back of it has a bumper sticker that says, ‘God be with you.’”

Cassandra described her aunt as sweet, but also as someone who keeps to herself. “My aunt’s always been an animal lover, so I couldn’t see her doing anything that would put her animals in a weird position,” she said. “When I was a kid, she had boa constrictors that she treated like house cats, you know what I mean? She’s very much an animal person, so it’s just weird that her dogs are with her — if she did try to disappear — that would be a very strange thing for her to do.”

Cassandra said Yvonne is from Prescott Valley, Arizona, which is more than 50 miles from where her car was located. According to a missing person poster that the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook, Yvonne’s vehicle was located “at State Route 260 (milepost 249) and Forest Road 144” and “may have been there for approximately 3 weeks before it was reported.”

Cassandra said the car was found “dead center” between the small town of Camp Verde and the communities of Strawberry and Pine. “There’s nothing else to really, um, identify the area very well,” she said.

Lieutenant Kaufman told Dateline that the Prescott Valley Police Department was notified by the Arizona Department of Public Safety about Yvonne’s car being located on May 1, 2024. “It had a note [on it], uh, that she had called for roadside services,” he said. “But she wasn’t, um, in the vehicle and [on the note] asked the vehicle be towed to Chapman Auto Services in Payson.”

“The detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, uh, advised us that troopers would remain with the vehicle, uh, and treat it as if it was a crime scene,” Lt. Kaufman added.

“I figured that’s probably the best thing I can do from my home, um, is at least get her face out there,” Cassandra told Dateline. “I’m just hoping that she’s out there, she’s OK, and that she sees that we’re actively looking for her and something in her says, ‘You know what? I need to talk to my family, I’m not alone.’”