A Palo Alto woman who made national headlines when she verbally assaulted a man wearing a Make America Great Again hat on April 1, has been located after having gone missing since Thursday, April 18.
Lake County Sheriff Lt. Corey Paulich said on Tuesday that a missing persons bulletin for Rebecca Parker Mankey, 46, has been taken down.
"She made contact with her family this morning," he said, adding that she is safe.
Mankey has received multiple death threats and been harassed since April 1, she told the Weekly before her disappearance.
She sparked widespread outrage after posting photographs and a diatribe against the 74-year-old Palo Alto MAGA-hat-wearing man, who later identified himself as Victor. She said she had confronted him in a Starbucks on California Avenue for wearing the hat. She called upon the public to identify him so she could continue her confrontation wherever he worked, at his home or to identify his family because of his perceived support of President Donald Trump.
Furious conservatives posted her remarks on social media and instead "doxed" her, posting her private information. They contacted Mankey's and her husband's employers to demand their dismissal and repeatedly called her at home.
Mankey lost her job at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto soon after news went viral about her confrontation with the 74-year-old man.
According to news reports from local outlets, Mankey had been visiting a friend in Lake County; she reportedly left Lake County on Thursday but didn't return home.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office issued a bulletin last Friday after Mankey was reported missing by her husband. She was believed to be in the area of Aberdeen, Washington, as of 9 a.m. last Friday.
The Aberdeen Police Department also issued a missing-person bulletin seeking help from the public in finding Mankey.
"The Lake County Sheriff's office said her cellphone pinged in this area. Her family said they are not aware that she has any connections here," he said.
Friends of Mankey put out alerts on Facebook about her disappearance. "I last saw her when she was leaving Lake County to head home yesterday," Melissa Demyan wrote Friday. She said that it had been over 24 hours "since anyone has seen or heard from her."
Mark Van Landuyt wrote on Facebook that Mankey "is a dear friend and a special human being -- she is important to many people's lives."
Related content:
• Political polarization sparks confrontation at Starbucks, triggering online fury
• Cellphone video captures heated MAGA confrontation that went viral
Comments
Crescent Park
on Apr 20, 2019 at 12:57 pm
on Apr 20, 2019 at 12:57 pm
[Post removed.]
Registered user
Evergreen Park
on Apr 20, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Registered user
on Apr 20, 2019 at 1:29 pm
The SJ Merc's article says that Parker Mankey had wanted to go completely off the grid to stay out of the public eye, which would be completely understandable. I hope that this will turn out to be what has happened and she has come to no harm. However, her unexplained disappearance is keeping her in the public eye.
Menlo Park
on Apr 20, 2019 at 3:18 pm
on Apr 20, 2019 at 3:18 pm
[Post removed.]