Quick Take
Police say Capitola's Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, 61, has been missing since Dec. 3. Investigators say her boyfriend, Theobald “Theo” Brooks Lengyel, who also goes by Mylo Stone, is considered a person of interest but is not cooperating with authorities. Capitola police are assisting the El Cerrito-led investigation into her disappearance.
Police are investigating the disappearance of a Capitola woman after her relatives said they had not heard from her in more than a week.
Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann, 61, was last seen in Santa Cruz more than two weeks ago, on Dec. 3. Relatives reported her missing Dec. 12. El Cerrito investigators say they found her red 2007 Toyota Highlander in front of her boyfriend’s home in El Cerrito, an East Bay city north of Berkeley.
Police determined that her boyfriend is 54-year-old Theobald “Theo” Brooks Lengyel. El Cerrito police say Lengyel also goes by the alias Mylo Stone, and that he is known to have traveled to Portland, Oregon, in the days immediately following Herrmann’s disappearance. The police say Lengyel is a person of interest, but has not cooperated with the investigation.
According to an SFGate report, Lengyel is a founding member of a Humboldt-based funk-metal band Mr. Bungle, with whom he played from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The band included Faith No More singer Mike Patton.
Capitola Police Captain Sarah Ryan told Lookout on Monday that El Cerrito police contacted the Capitola Police Department and asked officers to take a look at Herrmann’s residence, but they did not see any trace of her. While Ryan did not know how long Herrmann had lived in Capitola, she said that her residence suggests that she “seemed established and appeared to be living alone.”
A public records search shows that Herrmann has lived in a residence on 43rd Avenue in Capitola since at least 2009. Her house is an unassuming, single-story residence painted a mix of gray and beige. Tall, leafless trees stand tall over the roof with planters of succulents beneath them.
Several neighbors said that they are friendly with Herrmann, but do not know her very well, as she often keeps to herself and does not live in Capitola full-time. They described her disappearance as “shocking” and “uncomfortable.” They declined to give their names, saying that they were nervous about the police investigation happening in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.
Ryan called the case “odd” and said that the department will take any information people can offer. Though El Cerrito is handling the investigation, Ryan said Capitola police will make themselves available to assist or follow up in any way.
“There’s a lot that we don’t know, and we don’t have closure,” she said. “That’s the worst part.”
Herrmann is a Pacific Islander woman with hazel eyes and brown hair, who is about 5-foot-4 and weighs about 135 pounds. She is also a member of Outrigger Santa Cruz, a nonprofit, recreational outrigger canoe paddling group.
Lengyel is a white man with brown eyes and brown hair, who is about 5-foot-10 and weighs about 170 pounds. He drives a blue 1989 Ford pickup truck, license plate “UNCLDRT.” Both his and Herrmann’s vehicle are in police custody.
Investigators are asking area residents who spend time in regional parks and open spaces to be on the lookout for anything suspicious that might lead to Herrmann’s whereabouts.
They may reach out to the El Cerrito Police Department at 510-215-4435 or by email at investigations@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us. Locals with information can also call the Capitola Police Department tip line at 831-475-2791.
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