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New leads in missing woman case take investigators to Chula Vista

Lateche Norris, 20, from Indiana went missing four weeks ago in San Diego.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The search for Lateche Norris, a missing woman from Indiana, is leading investigators to the South Bay.

Norris and her boyfriend, Joey Smith, have not been seen or heard from for four weeks.

Credit: Cheryl Walker

It appears the trail to the missing couple is taking detectives along the trolley tracks from downtown San Diego to Chula Vista.

On Thursday, San Diego police released surveillance video of Norris, 20, and Smith, 25. It was recorded one month ago at a 7-Eleven store located at 222 Park Blvd, not far from the Imperial Ave. trolley station downtown.

No one would have known the couple stopped at that 7-Eleven store – at 11:25 p.m. on Nov. 4 – if it wasn’t for a random meeting on the street in front of the store.  

That's where a high school friend of Norris from Anderson, Indiana happened to be walking by and recognized her.

News 8 spoke to the 19-year-old woman on Facebook. She said she asked Norris what she was doing in San Diego. Norris responded that she and her boyfriend, Smith, were heading to Chula Vista.

The couple has not been seen since, though some recent Facebook posts provided leads.

Credit: Facebook

On October 30, days before the couple went missing, Joey Smith posted a photo on Facebook of trolley tracks at F Street in Chula Vista. He also posted a caption which said, 

“Feels good to look forward to riding this train instead of wanting to lay in front of it. Roughest two weeks yet...But Monday has me smiling again.”

The trolley track location has a nearby homeless encampment.  

News 8 checked out the encampment but found no sign of Norris or Smith.

Credit: Facebook

Smith, or someone using his account, also posted a Facebook story photo on Nov. 13, a week after the coupe went missing. It was taken in front of the Keg-n-Bottle liquor store on H Street in Chula Vista.

The liquor store owner told News 8, SDPD detectives already scanned through his surveillance video and found no sign of Smith. Additionally, the owner said he did not recognize the VW bug seen in the photo. It's unclear exactly when the photo was taken.

If you see Latache Norris or Joey Smith call San Diego police at (619) 531-2000.

WATCH: Surveillance video of Lateche Norris & Joey Smith from Nov. 4 at 11:25 p.m. in downtown San Diego.

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