LAKEPORT, Calif. – The effort to locate a Lakeport woman who was last seen on Friday morning is continuing, with new information leading police to discover her vehicle in Del Norte County.

Amber Costner, 24, was last seen at about 7 a.m. Friday, when she left her home in her white Dodge Caravan, as Lake County News has reported.

There were concerns for Costner's safety due to a statement she had made to her daughter on Thursday night that she was going away soon and nobody would see her again, as well as reports that she has a history of suicidal thoughts and was possibly in possession of a handgun, according to police.

The Lakeport Police Department reported that at 10 a.m. Saturday its officers received further leads in the case.

At that point, police were informed that Costner sent information to family indicating that she was OK but did not want to be located. 

While police originally believed Costner had left Lakeport headed for Southern California, Lakeport Police's officers subsequently developed information that she was possibly in the Crescent City area.

Lakeport Police reported that it contacted the Crescent City Police Department for assistance in the case. 

Just before 11 a.m. Saturday, Crescent City Police officers located Costner's white Dodge van in the parking lot of a Safeway store and recovered an unloaded handgun from inside of it, Lakeport Police Sgt. Mike Sobieraj told Lake County News.

However, Costner was not with the vehicle and police still have not been able to locate her.

Sobieraj said early Sunday that there have been no new developments since the vehicle was found on Saturday morning, and no indications that Costner has been in any additional contact with her family.

As for why she headed north instead of south, “We're not really sure why she went up there,” said Sobieraj.

The Lakeport Police Department reported that it intended to continue to follow all leads and investigate the case until Costner is located and confirmed to be OK.

Meanwhile, community members have worked to assist the effort to find Costner, sharing her information on social media around the state and in Southern Oregon.

Costner is a white female, 5 feet tall and 180 pounds, with red hair with blonde streaks and blue eyes. She has a tattoo of an elephant on her left wrist.

Anyone who sees her is asked to call their local law enforcement agency.

The Lakeport Police Department can be reached at 707-263-5491.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.