Chino Hills Police Department

Halina Tran (10), who went missing on February 22, has been located and safely returned home.

On Thursday, February 22, Halina Tran (10) exited her vehicle in front of Ayala at the drop-off lane at 8:00 a.m. However, instead of walking onto campus and into her first period, English 10 Honors, Tran exited the school premises. 

Possibly due to a change in seating arrangements on the day, her absence went mostly unnoticed by her peers and teacher. 

Shortly after arriving on campus, Tran was captured by CCTV cameras walking south towards Eucalyptus Avenue in a light brown jacket and light blue jeans. She was carrying a cow print rolling backpack with a pink Hydro Flask and a tan shoulder bag, and is characterized by being 5’3’’ to 5’5’’, 120 pounds, 15 years old, and slender with black hair and brown eyes. 

At 8:10 a.m., video surveillance  recorded Tran with the same items, but in a white sweater instead of a brown one. 

Tran was last seen for a period of five days at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday about one mile from Ayala near a CVS at the intersection of Chino Hills Parkway and Peyton Drive.

After school, at 3:22 p.m., a relative of Tran’s arrived at Ayala to pick her up. Unfortunately, she was not there and the school later confirmed she was absent without excuse the entire day. Allegedly, three of Tran’s teachers failed to mark her as absent which led to a delayed report of her absence. 

Failure to return home led to Tran’s family’s worry steadily rising, and as her phone was reportedly reset or unable to track, they could not locate her. As a result, Tran was reported missing Thursday evening and news of her case quickly spread.

On Friday, Tran’s whereabouts still unknown, students and teachers began being questioned about her and if she had left any hints as to where she might have disappeared to. Friday evening, posts and alerts of her vanishing were released and the community became aware of the student’s case. 

In an effort to quickly locate Tran, flyers were hung around the city and the Chino Hills Police, and San Bernardino County Sheriffs urged Tesla drivers to check their cameras for any footage of her. City residents took to social media and informed the city of any information that would be relevant to her search. 

The weekend passed, still with no sign of Tran or where she might have disappeared. 

On Monday morning, an email by Principal Diana Yarboi was sent out to students, providing the case details and offering a digital portal called One-Stop-Shop with resources for coping with bullying, mental health, and suicide prevention. 

Students and teachers alike expressed sympathy and worry for Tran. Anyone who had contact with her was questioned and San Bernardino sheriffs made their way on campus to further investigate. Still, there was no sign of Tran.

Finally, on Tuesday, February 27 at around 4:40 p.m., the Chino Hills Police Department released the news that Tran had been located and reunited with her family.

The police thanked the community for their assistance stating, “[We] would like to extend gratitude to the public for their invaluable assistance in locating Halina’s whereabouts. Through your vigilant cooperation, shared information, and spreading awareness, the community played an instrumental role in ensuring Halina’s safe return home.”

As of right now, there is no record as to why Tran went missing or how she was found.