Friends of missing Katy Perry songwriter Camela Leierth-Segura fear someone is holding her captive
The 48-year-old Swedish-born songwriter and model was last seen in the Beverly Hills area on 29 June
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A songwriter and model who co-wrote one of Katy Perry’s hit songs has mysteriously vanished and her loved ones fear someone is holding her captive.
The last time Swedish-born Camela Leierth-Segura, 48, was last seen or heard from was on 29 June in the Beverly Hills area, according to the California Department of Justice’s missing persons page.
Her longtime friend Cecilia Foss told The Independent that it’s not like her to just vanish without a trace and the fact that her beloved 19-year-old cat Morris is also missing has made it even more of a mystery.
“My worst fear is that someone has her, and is hurting her,” Ms Foss said about her friend who she added is not someone who would just disappear for seven weeks without responding to anyone.
“If she was going for a drive to clear her head, I get it,” Ms Foss said. “But it’s been seven weeks. And no one has heard from her. Nobody goes for a seven-week drive.”
In the nearly two months since Ms Leierth-Segura has been gone, friends and loved ones have sent hundreds of text messages and emails, and made phone calls, all that were met with silence.
“She was always busy, always working toward her next goal,” Ms Foss said. “But if I asked her to catch up and she was busy, she’d always respond, “don’t worry we’ll get tea soon.’”
But when several of the friends realized that nobody had heard from her, they became worried, Ms Foss said.
Another longtime friend Liz Montgomery was alerted by Ms Leierth-Segura’s sister in Sweden, which prompted her to call for a welfare check.
Police responded to her last known address in Beverly Hills where the landlord informed them she had been evicted.
“She had mentioned it to all of us that she was having trouble; Covid definitely was not helpful for her because she’s a musician, model, actress, all that stuff,” Ms Montgomery previously told The Los Angeles Times. “And there was no money coming in.”
Neighbours told local news they hadn’t seen her in weeks. The usually well-tended plants on her balcony had died. There was no sign of her cat or her 2010 Ford Fusion with California plate 6KZJ725. It is not clear when exactly she was evicted or where she was staying afterwards.
Ms Leierth-Segura’s last text message was sent on 29 June, and her Ford Fusion car was last seen on police cameras leaving Beverly Hills the following afternoon, 30 June. But it’s not clear who was driving the vehicle, which has not been seen since.
Ms Montgomery filed a missing persons report with the Beverly Hills Police and has been in close contact with her family in Sweden.
“They are devastated and overwhelmed,” said Ms Foss, who is in contact with Montgomery every day. “With Camela here and her family in Sweden, it’s hard. I think it’s hard for them to even comprehend that she is missing.”
Ms Foss said her friend has had issues in the past with her landlord about rent. But added that she knew many people she could have asked to stay with before ever thinking of going off the grid or living in her car.
Ms Foss and Ms Leierth-Segura met while working in the modeling industry in New York City. They found common ground being from Scandinavian countries, Ms Foss from Norway and Ms Leierth-Segura from Sweden.
Both have kept busy lives, but always manage to catch up every few weeks or months over tea. Ms Leierth-Segura has a passion for writing music and treats her cat Morris as her child, her friend said.
The friends are workinf closely with police and Ms Leierth-Segura’s family in their effort to find her.
In an Instagram post, Ms Montgomery urged for help from the public.
“We are extremely worried about her safety, and despite our best efforts, the local authorities have not been able to locate her,” Montgomery wrote.
“She means the world to us and time is of the essence. Her family in Sweden is pleading for your assistance.”
A GoFundMe has been created by her sister Lisa and loved ones are hoping money will help bring in information to find her.