Missing Kentucky woman found at Cosmopolitan
A 20-year-old Kentucky woman reported missing by her parents was found at The Cosmopolitan on the Strip early Friday evening, ending an extensive search in Las Vegas that began about noon.
David Cummings, commander of Red Rock Search and Rescue, said Jena Chisholm, spotted at 6 p.m., is safely with Cosmopolitan security staff. Her mother was to meet her at the resort.
“It appears that she may have turned herself in. All we know is that she went willingly with security at The Cosmopolitan,” Cummings said. “This could have been a lot worse.”
Nobody ever thought Chisholm was in “immediate danger,” Cummings said, but added: “It could have worked its way into that.”
Nearly 30 members of the all-volunteer Red Rock Search and Rescue unit spent Friday searching for the Florence, Ky. woman who left home on Dec. 19 and told her parents she’d be back by Dec. 26 for a doctor’s appointment. Her dog, Chamber, was discovered tied up on New Year’s Eve outside the Diamond Inn Hotel, and the parents started to fear the worst, Cummings said.
“She was very close to this dog, so I’ve been told,” Cummings said.
The resulting search showed how well facial recognition software works on the Strip, Cummings said.
Jena Chisholm was spotted in the Quad, formerly known as the Imperial Palace, at 10 p.m. Thursday. She was last seen wearing a purple hoodie, a black beret and black fingerless gloves.
Las Vegas is a common destination for adults to temporarily disappear without telling family members. The missing person section sometimes receives 900 cases in a month.
Las Vegas police were assisting the Boone County Sheriff’s Department with the investigation. Police found Chisholm’s car Thursday.
Her family tracked Chisholm’s cellphone to St. Louis, Albuquerque, N.M., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and then again back in Las Vegas, her family said.
Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.