A neighbor told police he was sure he had seen Rico in the background of a television newscast originating from San Quentin Prison on April 21. The neighbor said that Rico, who was active in politics and championed numerous liberal causes, was part of a group protesting the upcoming execution of Robert Alton Harris, a drifter who killed two Mira Mesa teens to use their car in a bank robbery.

More than a month later, Rico's son, Ted Rico, asked Oceanside Police to reopen the case because he still had not heard from his mother. Four days after that, Ted Rico came to Oceanside from his home in Santa Cruz and went to his mother's house.

Rico worked at the same school, as well as at Palmquist School, in the same capacity. She started working for the school district in 1985 and quit her job in May 1991, said Oceanside Unified School District spokesman Dan Armstrong.