Thanks to that story, at least one of those missing persons has been found.
Rebekah Martinez, reported missing by her mother on Nov. 18, was in fact, hiding in plain sight.
Martinez is a contestant on the popular TV program “The Bachelor.” She is seen by millions of people each week. She just forgot to phone home.
Here is an Instagram post of Martinez with Arie Luyendyk Jr., the bachelor for this season.
Here is Martinez, hiding in a hot tub with Luyendyk.
The North Coast Journal article opened with, “See anyone you recognize?”
Almost immediately Amy Bonner O'Brien replied, “Yep, Rebekah Martinez is on this season of The Bachelor ...”
Communication Breakdown
Apparently, the mystery began when Martinez took off on Nov. 12 to tape the show. Contestants are not allowed any contact with the outside world—they live in isolation for almost three months.“We have nothing. We are completely cut off from the world,” Hughes explained.
Someone’s signals got crossed.
Instagram-Active
Oddly enough, given that contestants are supposed to live in isolation, Martinez posted to her Instagram account during the taping of the show.She posted “HI ALL i’m giving up my phone and social media for the next several weeks, so if you need to contact me, welll... tough luck!” on Sept. 17.
She was back posting by Nov.22—just four days after she was reported missing.
Good for a Laugh
Martinez made light of the whole situation. “PSA: always call your mom back” she posted on Instagram.On Twitter, she posted, “MOM. how many times do I have to tell you I don’t get cell service on The Bachelor??"
On Twitter, she made light of the missing person picture, a Department of Motor Vehicles photo from her high school days.
“honestly the scariest thing about this story is that my efforts to conceal The Worst Drivers License Photo Of All Time have been thwarted,” she tweeted.
So ... This season of “The Bachelor” started airing on Jan. 1, 2018. It seems unlikely that all this free publicity will hurt the show—or Martinez’s future career in entertainment.