The North Coast Journal ran a story on Feb. 1 about missing persons from Humboldt County, California. The article questioned why so many people went missing from one area. (The article said Humboldt County has the highest number of missing person reports of any California county.)
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.
Leslie Hughes, a contestant on the 2013 season of the show, said there was no contact at all. “None—absolutely none,” Hughes told the Daily Beast. Hughes said contestants surrender cellphones, tablets, laptops—they cannot see television, newspapers, or magazines.
Leslie Hughes attends the Premiere of ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ Season 19, Jan. 5, 2015, in Hollywood, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)“We have nothing. We are completely cut off from the world,” Hughes explained.
That goes some way toward explaining why Martinez’s mother got worried. It doesn’t fully explain why Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Samantha Karges told The Journal, “Martinez had reportedly come to Humboldt County to work on a marijuana farm.”
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.
The Journal contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriffs made a couple phone calls and removed Martinez from the Missing Persons List.
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??”
MOM. how many times do I have to tell you I don’t get cell service on The Bachelor?? https://t.co/iYnxQCIZBt
— bekah martinez ♡ (@whats_ur_sign_) February 2, 2018
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.
Thought missing, Humboldt woman spotted on 'The Bachelor' https://t.co/yT5THQ13bC pic.twitter.com/ShFMtNw2fr
— SFGate (@SFGate) February 2, 2018
honestly the scariest thing about this story is that my efforts to conceal The Worst Drivers License Photo Of All Time have been thwarted https://t.co/z0venho66p
— bekah martinez ♡ (@whats_ur_sign_) February 2, 2018
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.
From NTD.tv
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