Police Seek New Leads In Half Moon Bay Woman's 1998 Disappearance

HALF MOON BAY, CA — Just days after the 21st anniversary of the disappearance of a Half Moon Bay mother, police said they are seeking new leads in the cold missing person case.

Maria Guadalupe Serrano, a mother of two young children, was last seen on Oct. 17, 1998 while leaving her home on the 400 block of Cypress Street in Half Moon Bay. She told her roommate she was going to walk to an office that she often cleaned, although the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin festival was also taking place during that time.

Nobody has seen or heard from her since, the San Mateo County Sheriff's office said.

Now, the sheriff's office said it is seeking new leads in Serrano's disappearance, which it said received little media attention at the time. The sheriff's office said its initial investigation created few leads, although there was no evidence of foul play and Serrano's bank accounts haven't been touched since she disappeared.

Sheriff's investigators recently followed up on their initial investigation and found that Serrano's two children — now adults — are "still actively looking for their mother."

At the time she disappeared, Serrano was described as a Hispanic woman with black hair and black eyes, 5'1'' and 175 pounds. She was very reserved and only spoke Spanish, and had a surgery scar on her stomach. She was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes.

Investigators have reason to believe someone may have information about her disappearance, the sheriff's office said. Anyone with information about Serrano's whereabouts or disappearance is urged to contact Detective Jose Velasquez at 650-363-0462, email jvelasquez@smcgov.org, or call the anonymous tip line at 1-800-547-2700.