MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday it has shifted it is now investigating the disappearance of Wendy Pullins, an Ahwahnee resident who went missing on June 15, 2022, as a homicide.
The news comes after blood was discovered inside Pullins’ recovered Jeep Cherokee, which was a positive DNA match for the missing woman.
“There was blood that we did find from the vehicle. And we have matched that DNA to Wendy,” said Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese.
A photo of the vehicle, which was recovered in September of 2022 before being shipped off to the California Department of Justice Crime Lab, was released as well.
It shows the Jeep, which was not recovered until nearly three months after Pullins went missing, crashed on its side in an embankment in a remote part of Mariposa County.
Other items were also found inside the Jeep, and are still being processed in the DOJ lab.
But with the new evidence, the condition of Wendy’s car, and the time since her disappearance, the choice was made to shift the investigation.
“Wendy’s family needs closure and our office is gonna work every single day, and we’re gonna do everything we can to bring closure and bring suspects into custody,” said Sheriff Briese.
One of Wendy’s family members told us Tuesday that she was always down to help anyone in need, and that she was always kind.
Wendy would have turned 59 years old on Sept. 14.
Her last known location was on Stumpfield Mountain Road in Mariposa County.
“She was gonna be staying with a friend in Mariposa County. And ultimately, her destination the next day was to go to the DMV in Mariposa.”
There is a $1,000 reward being offered to anyone with information that could bring Wendy’s killer to justice.
If you know anything you’re asked to call the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 966-3615.
