Months before Gabby Petito's story made international headlines, a young woman Lauren Cho disappeared in California. How she vanished is a mystery. Photo / Supplied
Months before Gabby Petito's story made international headlines, a young woman Lauren Cho disappeared in California. How she vanished is a mystery. Photo / Supplied
Lauren Cho's family can't get away from questions and comments about Gabby Petito.
The Chos, who have spent four months searching for the 30-year-old after she disappeared in California in June, just want to find her.
Law enforcement has so far come up empty in the search for the New Jersey native, known affectionately as "El", who walked away from an Airbnb she was staying at with friends and her ex-boyfriend.
But Lauren Cho's story is being dragged into unhelpful comparisons with the story of Petito — a young woman who also disappeared on a trip across the US with her boyfriend and whose body was found in Wyoming mid last month.
Lauren Cho has been missing since June when she disappeared on a trip to California. Photo / Supplied
On a Facebook page set up to keep the public informed of updates around Cho's disappearance, her sister is having to talk about Petito.
"We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the messages and questions that have come our way this past week regarding the Gabby Petito case in comparison to what is happening with El," she wrote recently.
"We realise that on the surface, the public information for both cases share some similarities. We understand the frustration many of you have expressed about how and why certain cases receive national coverage.
"Ultimately, these two cases are NOT the same and the differences run deeper than what meets the public eye.
Lauren Cho has been missing since June when she disappeared from an Airbnb property in California. Photo / Supplied
"We are wholly appreciative of the love that continues to be shown to El. We empathise deeply with Gabby's family and hope that both our cases bring forth positive resolution.
"Somebody knows something. About El, about Gabby."
Cho's sister is also dealing with criticisms, including one from a member of the public who suggested the family was not doing enough.
"Her family HAS been out there looking for her," Cho's sister wrote.
"Most of us reside on the East Coast, but we have still made multiple trips. Kindly do not insinuate that we are not doing everything we can to find Lauren and bring her home, as we are absolutely doing everything possible."
What happened to Lauren Cho?
Cho had recently relocated to the West Coast from New Jersey and was staying at an Airbnb in the Yucca Valley with friends.
The last people to see her reported her missing to police three hours after she walked away from the property near the Benmar Trail about 5pm on June 28.
The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department says she was "upset and presumably walked away from the resort, leaving behind her personal belongings".
Her ex-boyfriend said she was "suffering mental distress" at the time she disappeared wearing a yellow T-shirt and jean shorts.
Friends who led the way in trying to track her down say they put up posters all around the desert and even ventured as far as San Diego because "in the week before she disappeared [she said] she just wanted to go to the beach".
Her family say she may have distressed at the time of her disappearance but is still "an actual person" and deserves to be found.
"El is fiercely loved by many, and we see the posts, comments, and speculations made about her situation, her family, her friends, her mental health," her sister wrote.
"One day, El's [relatives are] bound to come across all of this because nothing on the internet truly goes away. So continue to be respectful, good people. Continue to remember her name and that she hasn't been found yet and we need her home," she continued.
"El is many things … a talented musician, an incredible baker, a hilarious and loyal friend, a strangely intuitive gift giver, and probably the coolest sister one could hope for. But this is where El really shines: as an aunt."
