SAN DIEGO — Hoping to generate tips that might help solve the case, authorities Thursday released updated information about a missing Indiana woman's disappearance in San Diego one month ago.
The last known whereabouts of Lateche Norris, 20, was at an East Village convenience store she visited with her boyfriend, 25-year-old Joseph "Joey" Smith, at 11:25 p.m. Nov. 4, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Thursday afternoon, the SDPD released surveillance-camera footage of the couple at the 7-Eleven located at 222 Park Boulevard. At the time, Norris was carrying a black-and-white-checkered backpack and dressed in khaki pants, a zippered black hooded sweatshirt over a navy-blue T-shirt and black skater-type shoes with white trim.
During their visit to the store near Petco Park, Smith was wearing black or dark-blue jeans, a long-sleeve Nike-logo T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the same type of black skater-style shoes as Norris, and had a black-and-gray backpack.
The following morning, Norris spoke to her mother by phone. Her family, who has had no contact with her since, reported her missing Nov. 9.
Norris' mother, Cheryl Walker, has told reporters she fears for her daughter's safety due to serious fights the young woman has had with Smith, including one on the day before her disappearance.
Walker traveled to San Diego from Indiana to post missing-person fliers and meet with SDPD detectives.
The SDPD has categorized Norris as an "at-risk" missing person due to "the totality of the circumstances, including the length of time (she) has been missing and the absence of anyone reporting verifiable contact with her," according to a statement from the department.
Norris is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall and about 165 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and tattoos on the backs of her fingers.
Smith is 6 feet tall, weighs about 185 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes, and has tattoos on the left side of his neck, down his left arm and hand, and on both legs.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Norris or Smith is asked to call San Diego police at 619-531-2000.
