Rancher, 21, vanishes while walking to work in ‘extremely rural’ Utah community

A 21-year-old rancher with a history of running away vanished last month while walking to her new job in an “extremely rural” part of Utah.

Elizibeth “Lizzy” Green was reported missing April 17 after she failed to show up to her shift at the ranch in the remote community of Callao, the Juab County Sheriff’s Office said.

“I’m kind of at the point where I think maybe she had somebody pick her up,” Vanessa Simmons, Green’s mother, told 2KUTV Monday.

“I just don’t know who that is, or if they actually picked her up, or if they didn’t come and then she went trying to walk through the desert.”

According to a search warrant, Green had a history of mental health issues and had run away from home in the past, but this instance proved much more distressing.

Green typically maintained an open line of communication with her family when she ran away, and usually returned within a day or so, those close to the young woman told cops.

This time, however, her phone and social media accounts have gone silent, and all attempts to ping her devices have turned up fruitless, the warrant states.

The sheer remoteness of the Callao community has also raised alarm bells for investigators.

Callao, originally part of the Pony Express, is located in northern Snake Valley. Less than 12,000 people populate the entirety of Juab County, according to the Census Bureau.

“This area of our county is approximately three hours away from any major cities and requires travel on dirty roads,” the warrant states.

Deputies descended on the unnamed ranch just one day after Green vanished but found no trace of the young woman.

The ranch owner told authorities she never arrived for her shift and that he hadn’t had any contact with his new employee.

Search and rescue teams also combed the walking route Green would have taken to her job, as well as the surrounding area, but were “unable to locate Elizibeth or anything to determine where she could have gone,” according to the warrant.

“Based on the information that we have received, we are concerned about the possibility that Elizibeth is in danger of serious bodily injury or death,” the warrant states.

“It is unknown if Elizibeth is in danger and lost in the vast desert, or if someone that she was communicating with met with her and is holding her against her will.”

Green was last seen wearing a pink tie-dye high-cut hoodie, a light blue pair of jeans and black Converse sneakers, according to a missing person poster. She was also carrying a white backpack purse.

She stands at 5’11,” has brown hair and “green or hazel eyes depending on what she is wearing,” her mother said.