Florida woman vanishes during cross-country trip; mother receives nightmarish note
Authorities say 38-year-old Ganna Kovrizhynkh was last heard July 5 in San Diego County as her Jeep Grand Cherokee and camper were found abandoned a week later in Potrero, California.
A Florida woman has been missing for more than two months after vanishing during a cross-country road trip, leaving her camper and SUV abandoned on a California street. Police identified 38-year-old Ganna Kovrizhynkh as the missing person; she was last heard from on July 5 while driving through San Diego County, authorities said.
Investigators said Kovrizhynkh’s Jeep Grand Cherokee and a trailer were found abandoned on a street in Potrero, California, about a week after she was last heard from. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUS, shows that Kovrizhynkh’s mother was the last to hear from her on July 5, when a photograph of a letter and GPS coordinates from Potrero were sent, according to NamUS. The letter reportedly provided instructions to give Kovrizhynkh’s personal assets to her mother. The car and camper were located a week later, still in Potrero.
San Diego County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jacob Klepach told NBC San Diego that investigators are unsure of Kovrizhynkh’s destination and that she may have been touring the country, leaving her vehicle in Potrero. He said foul play remains a possibility but that there was no definitive evidence yet.
In the days and weeks leading up to her disappearance, Kovrizhynkh posted a string of videos on Instagram, some with unsettling captions. Nine days before she was last heard from, she posted a clip of herself dancing in a bikini with the caption, “I want everyone to remember me exactly like this.” A video posted the day before the ominous photo her mother received showed her packing several bags with emergency gear, including a gas mask, solar panels, a walkie-talkie and materials to purify water. She told viewers she had little money and that she had left everything behind, adding, “I know my time is close.” In another segment, she referenced the antichrist and urged preparedness for churches and others.
Authorities say Kovrizhynkh may have crossed the border into the Tecate region of Mexico on her own, but they are not ruling out foul play. She is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and about 100 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes and several tattoos on her arms. Police noted she may be wearing a wig and could be using the alias Angel Volnaya, a name linked to her social media accounts. Her last known address was in Hallandale Beach, Florida, though friends say they have not seen or spoken to her in months.
Police are asking the public to come forward with any information about Kovrizhynkh’s whereabouts. Anyone who has seen Kovrizhynkh or has information should contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office at 858-868-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
The case is being tracked in federal and local missing-person databases, including NamUS, which catalogs details on long-term missing persons and unidentified remains. The diary-like posts and the letter seen by Kovrizhynkh’s mother have drawn public interest, but investigators emphasize that information from the public remains critical to locating her.