Search for missing mother and 8-month-old baby, pair disappeared between Fresno and Sacramento

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- An urgent search is underway for a missing mother and her baby, stretching from Fresno all the way up to Sacramento.

36-year-old Whisper Owen and her 8-month-old daughter, Sandra McCarty, vanished after leaving Fresno on July 15.

They were headed home to the Sacramento area, but never arrived.

"I got to find her," said Vickie Torres, Whisper's mother. "I got to find my daughter and her baby."

It's been more than a week since Vickie Torres has seen or heard from her daughter, Whisper.

She says on the 15th, Whisper brought Sandra to Fresno for a doctor's appointment and to visit with family.

"My grandbaby's growing and she's adorable, I just can't go without talking to her, seeing her," said Torres.

The pair left her home around 5 pm that day to head back to Sacramento to Whisper's partner and their two other children.

Torres said Whisper doesn't have a working phone, so they only speak every few days.

Then came a call from Whisper's partner and that's when the worry set in.

"It wasn't until Saturday morning that he reached out to us, asked if she was here, asked if he could talk to her and at that point, we instructed him she had left Tuesday night," said Richard Owen, Whisper's brother

Whisper's brother, Richard Owen, called law enforcement to report them missing.

Whisper was driving her 2006 silver Chevrolet Trailblazer, which has damage to the driver's side headlight.

It was last seen on a traffic camera just before 8 pm in Atwater near Shaffer and Bellevue.

Her family isn't waiting; they're doing their own searches, driving up and down the 99.

"I've even canvassed the area in Atwater, went and talked to the homeless community, showed her picture there and asking anybody if they had seen anything," said Richard Owen.

Whisper's family said she had some health issues that could have led to a medical emergency on their way.

Fresno police said they are investigating alongside Sacramento and Atwater Police.

They don't believe the pair is in the Fresno area anymore and said there is nothing that suggests foul play.

Investigators said they haven't found anything to explain the disappearance.

Whisper's brother said she normally would have gone up the 99 to Grant Line Road, then home to Elk Grove. He's asking everyone to pay close attention in those areas.

If you see Whisper, Sandra, or their SUV with the license plate 9LKH008, you should call 911.

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