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Missing Arizona woman Shayna Feinman not found alive in Mexico, officials confirm false report
Arizona authorities used physical evidence to determine a woman in Tijuana is not missing Arizonan Shayna Feinman, whose disappearance remains unsolved. FOX 10's Megan Spector has the details, as the search continues for the woman who went missing more than two years ago.
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. - The family of a missing Arizona woman has been subjected to a heartbreaking emotional roller coaster following false reports about her discovery.
Timeline:
Reports spread rapidly across social media claiming Shayna Feinman had been found alive in Tijuana, Mexico. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Officeconfirmed the situation was a case of mistaken identity.
Woman found in Mexico is not Shayna Feinman, Arizona sheriff's office says
A woman found in Mexico is not Shayna Feinman, an Arizona woman who has been missing for more than two years, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Oct. 27.
Feinman was last seen on March 9, 2024. Investigators later found her vehicle abandoned near a property where she had been staying with her boyfriend, with her wallet and ID inside.
Months later, detectives charged her boyfriend, 36-year-old Cavett Richards, and another man, 58-year-old William Dalcerro, with second-degree murder, even though her remains were never found. Those charges were dismissed in 2025, although both were in jail for unrelated charges.
Dig deeper:
Reports surfaced over the past 24 hours claiming the missing woman had been found alive in Tijuana, with Mexican authorities releasing a photo of a woman who appeared to look like Feinman and were claiming it was her.
Mistaken Claims:
However, U.S. authorities used physical evidence to verify her identity, confirmed Tijuana police were mistaken, and determined the woman in Mexican custody is someone else entirely.
Feinman's Sister Speaks Out:
Contact was made with Feinman’s sister, Kaya, during the developments. Before U.S. authorities confirmed it was not Feinman, her sister stated she was staying hopeful but waiting for official verification from local law enforcement.
In a statement released on Oct. 27, Kara told FOX 10:
"I am incredibly grateful to every person who has continued to care about my sister, Shayna, and helped us determine whether the woman in Mexico was her. With help from authorities, we can now definitively say she is NOT my sister, Shayna Feinman. This week turned our worlds upside down. We have been living with the belief that Shayna is no longer alive, and her remains still not located, so suddenly facing the possibility that she was alive was incredibly difficult to process. This is not the first time someone has claimed to have found her, and every time is traumatic, but I will always follow a credible possibility until I know with certainty. I also respectfully ask media outlets, especially when reporting about missing people, to understand the impact of sharing something as fact before confirming it. While we were still desperately trying to figure out the truth, the world was already being told Shayna had been found.
We form opinions based on what we know, and as we learn more, our perspectives can change. That is growth. I went back and forth myself—sometimes believing this absolutely was Shayna, then learning something new and believing it wasn’t. There is no rule book for how to feel or act through something like this. Please remember that words matter. Anger, accusations, and telling someone what they should be doing can be devastating when you have no idea what they are already carrying. The opposite is equally true. The tiniest act of kindness can make the biggest difference. I refuse to let the cruelty of some overshadow the incredible kindness of so many who helped us. We need community. We need each other. Shayna has still not been found. I will continue to search for answers of what happened, where she is and for her remains to be able to respectfully lay her to rest. I am not done looking for my sister, Shayna. I am not done fighting for her and the justice she deserves. And I refuse to stop."
She later shared that she is taking time to process the situation.
What's next:
Detectives say the search for Feinman remains active and ongoing. A $20,000 reward is still being offered for information about her whereabouts.
Map of where Shayna Feinman went missing in 2024:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office; FOX 10 reporter Megan Spector; and previous FOX 10 reports.