UC Irvine Senior Vanishes, Puzzling Parents and Police

FOUNTAIN VALLEY — A UC Irvine honors student disappeared under suspicious circumstances from a home she shares with her parents, who later found her car abandoned near Pacific Coast Highway, authorities said Tuesday.

Melissa Li has been missing since early Monday. Her parents told investigators they heard some stirrings and saw the lights on in her bedroom about 2 a.m. Monday morning and assumed the 22-year-old college senior was up late studying, authorities said.

“They woke up about 6 a.m. and discovered that both she and her car were gone,” Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Dann Bean said. “That was highly unusual. She usually leaves the house at 8 a.m.”

Her purse, which included money and credit cards, was found in her room, Police Lt. Mike Hanrahan said. Li’s parents, Bill and Julie Li, spent an anxious night waiting to hear from their daughter. Tuesday morning, Bill Li went looking for her along the beach where she liked to go and pray, Bean said.

“He checked the Huntington Beach Pier, and then went down to Sunset Beach, where he located her car,” Bean said.

The light blue 1991 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan, license number 2XUB835, was found at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday about five miles from her home. The vehicle was illegally parked in a cul-de-sac often used by bus drivers as a turnaround point near Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

A police citation left on the car indicated that it had been parked in the area since at least 8 a.m. Monday, but several bus drivers reported seeing the vehicle between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. that day, Bean said.

Investigators searched the area, but did not find any sign of Li.

“There were no indications of foul play at the Li house or in her car,” Hanrahan said.

Li was described by relatives as a shy student who usually calls home to inform her parents of her whereabouts. She is a triple major at UCI, studying English, linguistics and social science, said Nadine Wilck, the university’s spokeswoman. She also enjoys performing with an area Christian dance troupe, investigators said.

“She’s a 4.0 [grade-point average] student and very responsible. This is not like her at all,” Bean said. “This is a complete shock to her parents.”

Li was described by police as Chinese American, 5-foot, 3-inches tall and weighing 110 pounds, with black hair and dark brown eyes. Investigators are asking anyone with information on her whereabouts to call (714) 965-4468.