US Navy Sailor Vanishes While on Shore Leave in San Diego, Mom Says Police Not Taking It Seriously

A U.S. Navy soldier on shore leave has been missing for almost a week in California, friends and family told Fox News, and they think police aren't taking it seriously enough.

Nija "Towny" Townsend Jr., 20, has not been seen since 1 p.m. Saturday when he left the USS Germantown and disembarked in San Diego, the outlet reported. 

When Townsend didn’t return Monday, his shipmates grew concerned and reached out to his family, who also didn’t know his whereabouts. 

"His lieutenant said no, he has not done this before, this is very out of character, and he always shows up for work,” his mom, Courtney Frazier, told Fox News.

Frazier said her son doesn’t suffer from mental health issues or have known substance use issues. 

She also said she has been struggling to get police to take the case seriously, she said. San Diego police told Frazier that couldn’t accept her missing person report because there had been no indication of something strange afoot, she said. And although her son's phone is on and charged, police have not agreed to her request to track its location. 

"At what point does it become indicative of foul play or imminent danger?” the mom said Friday. "Wouldn’t it be better to be safe than sorry?”

Frazier said she knows her son’s phone is on and charged because she contacted Verizon, which told her the phone is 100% charged, implying it could be plugged into a wall somewhere with or without her son. 

"We're not getting any kind of answer that we need, because we just don’t have any information," Frazier told Fox News Digital.

Family friend Cynthia Diaz Richardson wrote on Facebook "This is unlike him not to report back to duty.” 

"Anyone that knows him knows his character and that he is responsible and would NEVER just go missing without any word or without anyone knowing where he is at,” she said.