The Reykjavík Metropolitan Police and a representative from ICE-SAR held a press conference at 5 pm today about the status of the search for 20-year-old Birna Brjánsdóttir, who has been missing since early Saturday morning.
The meeting confirmed that no progress has been made in the search. The case is still being treated as a missing person case, since no indication of foul play has been discovered.
Police were first notified Birna was missing at 7 pm Saturday night when she had failed to show up for work.
Security cameras on Laugavegur show Birna walking east on Laugavegur on Saturday morning, but she disappears out of the camera’s view at 5:25 am by Laugavegur 31.
The driver of a red car, most likely a Kia Rio, which cameras show driving in the opposite direction along Laugavegur at that time, has been asked by police to contact them, but that driver has not yet stepped forward, nor has the car been found. The driver is not a suspect, but may have information about Birna, explaining why she suddenly disappears from the camera’s view.
The police are still asking the driver to step forward and call +354 444 1000. They suspect the reason the driver has not yet been in touch is that this is a foreigner who has not yet received the message. Messages can also be left on the Police’s Facebook page.
The pictures from the camera are neither clear enough to show the car’s license plate number, not do they show how many people are in the car.
No one is seen following Birna as she walks east on Laugavegur.
A search dog followed her trail only to the location on Laugavegur, where she was last seen on camera.
A search with a drone flown from Harpa concert hall east to Laugarnes rendered no clues.
Signals from Birna’s cell phone were detected after she disappeared from the camera’s view. It appears the iPhone traveled fast toward Hafnarfjörður, where the last signal was detected shortly before 6 am. Most likely, the phone was in a car, driving in that direction.
New information reveals the cell phone did not run out of battery at that time, but was manually turned off.
At 5 pm today, the Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter began searching an area in Hafnarfjörður from where the last phone signal was detected towards the nearby Heiðmörk area, after police concluded the vehicle the phone was in likely traveled in that direction.
Searching for clues, rescue workers combed a 300 m radius of the downtown Reykjavík area today, where Birna was last seen, but to no avail.
Police ask residents of that area to search their basements and storage areas.
Still, the main search area is now focused on Hafnarfjörður and Heiðmörk.
No search is scheduled overnight.
Birna is not believed to have been walking home, since that was not her custom. She does not appear to be looking for a taxi either. Police are investigating whether she may have planned to meet someone through social media.
There are no indications that she has left the country.
Birna is not know to have used any kind of drugs and is not known to be depressed.
The phone number for contacting the police has been changed to +354 444 1000, but originally, the police had given out the number +354 444 1109.
