In September 2023, a woman was set to travel on an exciting road trip all the way from San Diego to Connecticut with her trusty camera and pet bearded dragon in tow. Tragically, she never made it to the wedding and mysteriously vanished along the way.
The woman was Chelsea Grimm, a 32-year-old photographer who was living in California at the time of her disappearance. She grew up in Connecticut and studied Psychology in New York City as a college student.
Chelsea decided to become a social worker and earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from New York University.
She worked for the NYC Department of Education before deciding to move to San Diego, California, in 2020. Aside from her social work, Chelsea was a talented photographer and looked forward to working on her art during her time in California.
In September of 2023, Chelsea was invited to a friend’s wedding in Connecticut, and she planned on using the trip as an excuse to visit her parents as well.
However, when she found out she couldn’t bring Roxy, her beloved pet bearded dragon, on an airplane, she decided to drive from San Diego to Connecticut and camp along the way.
On September 24th, 2023, Chelsea left California in her white Ford Focus SUV with her camera equipment, camping gear, and Roxy.
However, around three days into her trip, Chelsea called her parents and told them she didn’t think she could handle the trip alone, so she’d skip the wedding and spend a few days camping and traveling in Arizona before heading back to California.
Chelsea was allegedly supposed to meet with a friend in Phoenix, Arizona, but traveled to Williams, Arizona, instead.
On September 28th, Chelsea was approached by a police officer after her car was reported for being stopped near a war memorial and graveyard.
When the cop spoke to Chelsea, they had an amicable conversation where she told him she had gotten emotional over the lost soldiers the memorial was for after taking a moment to photograph the area and stopped to calm down before getting back on the road.
The officer directed Chelsea toward a nearby Love’s truck stop for a place to sleep for the night, and she headed over there.
She was seen one more time by a woodcutter on September 30th, camping in her car near Ash Fork, Arizona.
Although Chelsea told her parents she may lose cell service during her trip, they grew concerned after not hearing from her for days and reported her missing on October 4th.
The following day, a pair of hunters found her car abandoned with two flat tires near Kaibab National Forest. All her belongings were gone, including her wallet, clothes, sleeping bag, license, and Roxy.
Chelsea’s father, Stephen, has stated that Chelsea had recently been upset and scared by a man she had been dating before her disappearance, and he believes she may have been running away from him.
The search for Chelsea is still in full swing, and her parents strongly hope she’ll return home safely.
At the time of Chelsea’s disappearance, she was five foot eight, weighed 115 pounds, and had strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. She also had a vine-style tattoo on her left forearm and would be 32-years-old today.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523.
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