Crime & Safety

'It's Not Like Him to Make Me Worried'

Bogdan Predescu's mother talks about her 17-year-old son, who has been missing since July 10.

Adina Ionesco has not seen her teenage son, Bogdan Predescu, since the evening of July 9, when he comforted her in her sadness over relatives from Romania who had just left after a visit, Ionesco told Walnut Creek Patch Tuesday.

Later that evening or early the next morning the 17-year-old drove off in Ionesco's Honda Civic — bound for a variety of places, according to his friends. He didn't tell his mother he was leaving.

His friends, now concerned because he hasn't been heard from since, created a Facebook page asking if anyone has seen Bogdan, who will be a senior this year at in Walnut Creek. He sometimes goes by "Bo" or "Bog."

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"It is not like him to make me worried," said Ionesco, who moved here from Romania three years ago. "He knows how hard I'm working, two jobs. I don't know what happened."

Bogdan left without his cell phone but apparently took his Ipod Touch, some clothes and a skateboard, Ionesco said.

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Although she and her son live in Walnut Creek, Ionesco said she reported her son missing in Pleasant Hill, where her boyfriend lives.

Details of the role of police in the case are unclear. Apparently the missing person report was handled by Pleasant Hill police even though Predescu lives on Overlook Drive in the city of Walnut Creek.

Jimmy Lee, spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, confirmed that a report was filed. Patch is trying to reach Pleasant Hill police for more information.

Lt. Bryan Hill of the said Tuesday that his department had not received a report yet.

The silver Honda has a license plate of 6KOM024, according to the Facebook page. The friends said Predescu mentioned Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Southern California or Arizona as possible destinations.

In the recent three-week visit with their relatives, Predescu and Ionesco visited Carmel, Santa Cruz and Stinson Beach, Ionesco said.

On July 9, Predescu and Ionesco had just taken Ionesco's sister and her husband to the airport to return to Romania, Ionesco said. She and her son had a quiet evening watching television and Predescu comforted her.

But she also knew Predescu was upset because of a recent breakup with a girlfriend. Was he depressed? "Probably a little bit," said Ionesco. "Who knows with teenagers?"

Predescu enjoys soccer, tennis, listening to music and reading books. He speaks French, Ionesco said. He had his 17th birthday Monday, said friends writing on his Facebook page about their worries.

"I'm very worried about his safety, if he's going to be with a bad person," said Ionesco tearfully.


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