DEPUTIES SEEK LEADS WOMAN, 20, STILL MISSING.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

MOORPARK - A day after her bullet-riddled rental car was found on a freeway off-ramp, investigators on Friday were tracing the recent activities of Megan Barroso, hoping to find the 20-year-old Moorpark woman who disappeared under suspicious circumstances.

Investigators were conducting dozens of interviews with friends and family but had no suspects, officials said.

``So far, she continues to be the daughter you would want to have,'' Senior Deputy Ed Tumbleson said. ``There's nothing to indicate that she's involved with the wrong type of people. There's nothing out of the ordinary.''

With no real leads, investigators hope to learn something about the days leading up to the disappearance of Barroso, who was last seen at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, as she left a Fourth of July party in Thousand Oaks.

Investigators suspect that Barroso had set out for the 15-minute drive home to her apartment when she was apparently attacked.

``There are a whole lot of questions, and we don't have the answers yet,'' Tumbleson said.

Three teams from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Major Crimes Unit are involved in the investigation, which is classified as a missing person case.

``We don't even have a body, so we don't have a homicide,'' Tumbleson said. ``It's getting all the attention we can give it.''

A green Pontiac Sunfire, rented by Barroso while her own car was being repaired, was discovered by a private security guard about 3:55 a.m. Thursday under the Highway 23 overpass.

It was straddling the center divider with its lights on, the engine running and the rear window shattered.

There was no indication that Barroso had enemies or was involved in any disputes, sheriff's Sgt. Ron Nelson said.

Barroso grew up in Camarillo and graduated from Camarillo High School. She moved to Moorpark a year ago and worked at a clothing factory in Oxnard while attending Moorpark College part time.

Her father, Arturo Barroso, described his daughter as responsible and stable. He said she would come to his home for lunch almost every day from her job in Oxnard.

``We're all dumbfounded,'' Arturo Barroso said. ``Why? Why would someone do this?''

Nelson said investigators spent about 10 hours searching by foot and helicopter in a wide area around the car. Only the bullet casings were found.

Nelson declined to say whether the car yielded signs of the struggle. He said it was possible Barroso was shot while driving, but said investigators hadn't concluded she was in the car when it was shot.

Anyone who might have information about the case is asked to call [phone].