Police search for missing teen

<p>Reno police are searching for a former Mendocino teen who disappeared from a friend’s home in Reno Sunday morning.</p><p>Police said 19-year-old Brianna Denison, who grew up in the town of Mendocino, stayed overnight with friends near the University of Nevada after attending a concert Saturday night.</p><p>Denison was gone Sunday morning when her friends checked the couch where she had slept, but her cell phone, purse, clothes and shoes were still in the house.</p><p>Police are considering Denison’s disappearance “suspicious.”</p><p>“Anything you would expect a 19-year-old gal to take with her was still there,” said Reno Police Lieutenant Robert McDonald.</p><p>The only thing missing is a teddy bear Denison was using to prop up a pillow. A small mark on her pillow may be blood and is being examined, police said.</p><p>Denison also has not been in contact with her mother, with whom she often speaks several times a day, McDonald said.</p><p>She also has not contacted any friends and was due to leave Reno today.</p><p>Police have no suspects in Denison’s disappearance, but are searching for the driver of a beige or light brown late model Chevrolet or GMC Suburban. That driver, a 45-year old white man, dropped a friend of Denison’s off at the house early Sunday morning after she was unable to get a taxi at the nearby Sands Hotel and Casino.</p><p>McDonald said the man is not a suspect, but may have information about the neighborhood, including any potential suspects or witnesses.</p><p>McDonald said the home at 1395 Mackay Court was rented by a group of students from the University of Nevada, Reno. The couch where Denison slept was next to a sliding glass door, which was unlocked.</p><p>The home showed no signs of forced entry or struggle, he said.</p><p>Denison is a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College and was due back at school today, said a representative of the family.</p><p>Her mother, Bridgette Zanino-Denison and 15 year old brother live in Reno. Her grandparents, Bob and Barbara Zanino, live in Mendocino. Her father died several years ago.</p>