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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 A Bakersfield woman is still searching for answers five years after her brother was found dead, burned up in his car several miles away from his home.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone out there knows what happened,\u201d said Rita Olsen.<\/p>\n
Olsen is the younger sister of 68-year-old Charles Prunty, who was reported missing from Bakersfield in 2022.<\/p>\n
She said he was last seen on surveillance at the Valley Strong Credit Union on Chester Avenue. But a year later, two agents showed up at Olsen\u2019s door and told her something that still haunts her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey broke the news and told me that they found my brother,\u201d Olsen said. \u201cAnd they found his truck in a remote area, in Vandenberg. And it had been burned. And my brother was it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prunty was found just north of Vandenberg Space Force Base with clear signs that he had been there for at least a year. Olsen said she knew something wasn\u2019t right when her brother first went missing, but she doesn\u2019t feel like law enforcement took her family\u2019s report as seriously as they should have.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey disappointed me. They really did, and I\u2019m sorry to say that,\u201d Olsen said. \u201cBut, they need to have more heart when it comes to loved ones that are missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The investigation was first handled by the Kern County Sheriff\u2019s Office, but was handed over to Vandenberg Space Force.<\/p>\n
17 News reached out for an update but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just kind of feel like because he was an old man \u2013 missing \u2013 he\u2019ll just come home sooner or later,\u201d Olsen said.<\/p>\n
Now, Olsen hopes that the community will come together and provide information needed to warm up this now, cold case. She\u2019s been working with Kern Secret Witness for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would encourage them not to give up hope,\u201d said Nathan McCauley, president of Kern Secret Witness. \u201cIt\u2019s never too late. And we\u2019ve solved cases that are far older than five years in the past. And we\u2019ll do what we can to find out answers for this case as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olsen said this process has not been easy, and she misses her older brother dearly, but she won\u2019t stop until she finds out what happened to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to go through what I\u2019m going through,\u201d Olsen said. \u201cI don\u2019t sleep at night. I close my eyes \u2013 my brother comes to my mind. I haven\u2019t had a good night\u2019s sleep in five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone with information on this case can call Kern Secret Witness at 661-322-4040.<\/p>\n
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