A California family is grappling with the mysterious disappearance of a mother and her infant daughter. Whisper Owen, a 36-year-old mother of four, and her 8-month-old daughter, Sandra McCarty, vanished on July 15 while returning home from a doctor’s appointment in Fresno. The pair were last seen in Atwater, northwest of Fresno, where a traffic camera captured Owen’s silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer around 8 p.m., according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Owen’s mother, Vickie Torres, expressed her fear and frustration over the situation. She described the emotional turmoil of not knowing what happened to her daughter and granddaughter as a mix of anger and numbness. “I’m terrified. I’m just terrified,” Torres said.
The family revealed that Owen had planned to stop in Atwater, which is roughly halfway between Fresno and her home in Elk Grove, to buy baby formula. “The only thing she had to do was stop and get a can of formula because she was on her last bottle,” Torres explained.
When Owen and her baby failed to return home that night, her partner reported them missing. The rest of the family learned about their disappearance a few days later. Sandra’s older sister, Andrea McCarty, voiced her concern about the lack of leads in the case. “Her car is no longer popping up on any traffic cams. Her phone’s been off,” she said. “Your mind goes through all the terrible possibilities.”
The family firmly believes that Owen would not have voluntarily left with the baby, asserting that she had a good home life and would never abandon her three other children. In their desperate search for answers, the family has traveled to Atwater, urging the police to do everything possible to locate the missing mother and child.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has yet to comment on the ongoing investigation.