Chelsea Grimm

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Coconino County Sheriffs Office (AZ)

Missing From:

Williams, Arizona

Summary:

Chelsea Grimm, a 32-year-old photographer and social worker, was last seen in Williams, Arizona on September 28, 2023, while on a cross-country trip to attend a family wedding in Connecticut. Her white 2019 Ford Escape SUV was found abandoned on October 3 with two flat tires on Forest Service Road 6 in Kaibab National Forest, northeast of Ashfork, Arizona. Chelsea Grimm hasn't been heard from since.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On September 24, 2023, Chelsea Grimm left San Diego, California to travel cross-country for a wedding in Connecticut and to meet her parents, traveling with her bearded dragon named Roz or Roxy. On September 27, 2023, Grimm arrived in Phoenix, Arizona where she met her sister and a friend, but the next day she canceled plans for lunch with the same friend. Grimm was seen at a motel in Seligman where she tried to book a room but was described as disoriented when she tried to exchange euros as opposed to US currency. Grimm called her parents from the hotel and said she would not be making it to Connecticut in time for the wedding because the trip was taking longer than expected, and she said she planned to camp nearby for a few days before heading back home to California. On Sept. 28, Chelsea talked to a police officer in Williams near her campsite. She told the officer that she had gotten emotional after taking photographs for a lost soldier project and got a little emotional, so she was crying before she got back on the road. The police officer suggested some safe places for Grimm to camp for the night, including the Love's Truck Stop near a gas station where she wouldn't be bothered. On September 30, 2023, Chelsea was last seen by a woodcutter near Ashfork, Arizona where she was camping in her car, and she did not seem in distress or in need of help. Her family reported her missing on Oct. 4, which alerted authorities in northern Arizona, and the Coconino County Sheriff's Office found her car abandoned the next day with flat tires and a lot of her personal belongings inside.

Additional Details:

The Coconino County Sheriff's Office found her car abandoned with two flat tires and a lot of her personal belongings inside. Her camera was left in her car, and her camera was a part of her personality and an extension of who she was. Chelsea Grimm disappeared with her wallet, cellphone, sleeping bag, and bearded dragon, while some clothing and a camera was left behind in her car. Chelsea's phone records, bank account, and social media have had no activity since she disappeared. Police K-9s searched the area of the car within a three-mile radius but didn't pick up on her scent or any remains. The Coconino Sheriff's department conducted ground searches along with K9 searches which were unsuccessful, and a private investigator hired by the family also conducted ground searches, surveillance, and drone searches to no avail. Her parents hired private investigator Justin Yentes, who gained access to all of Chelsea's cellphone and digital data, which abruptly end in the woods where she was camping. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office told ABC15 that they continue to follow up on leads but there is no evidence of anything criminal or suspicious at this point. The Coconino Sheriff's department stated, "This case is still open, and we are following any new leads we receive". Chelsea graduated from New York University in 2019 with a Master's degree in Social Work and worked for the NYC Department of Education as a 12th Grade Social Worker. She is a licensed Associate Clinical Social Worker, a photographer, and an artist.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 04, 2026