A mother in Washington is concerned that her 14-year-old daughter, who has been missing since early January, may have disappeared after contacting an adult man she met online.
Ella Jones of Mount Vernon, Wash., was reported missing by her mother, Sarah Merrill, on Jan. 6, according to a press release from the local police department. Merrill told authorities that Jones voluntarily left their home early that morning, or possibly the night prior, and likely took a large, green backpack of clothing with her.
Police said Jones has not contacted any family members or friends since her disappearance.
Though there is no mention of it in the police press release, Merrill told the Washington-based NBC affiliate, King5, that her daughter had been seen speaking in video calls to an adult male she met on social media.
Merrill said Jones met the unknown man on the now-defunct website Omegle, which shuttered in November. The platform — which was used to connect strangers in text and video chats — shut down after 14 years, citing claims of user abuse. The website has in recent years been referenced in over 50 pedophile-related court cases, according to the BBC.
Merrill said Jones wrote her a note before leaving the home, “saying she loved me and that she didn’t want to hurt us anymore.”
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She also said she does not believe Jones’ vanishing is related to a mental health crisis.
“Something’s really wrong… I don’t think she can call me,” Merrill said. “She has never run away. We are very close. There was also not a fight.”
The mother separately told Fox News that some of Jones’ friends said the teen had been speaking to a man in his 20s or 30s on Discord, an instant messaging platform.
Merrill told the outlet she’d earlier punished Jones and confiscated her phone for speaking to a stranger online. She said she did not understand the extent of her daughter’s relationship with the stranger at the time.
Merrill said as Jones’ disappearance became more prolonged, some of her friends started to open up to her about Jones’ online relationship.
“One friend had said that she really trusted him. And they’re all pretty confident that’s where they think she is,” she said.
Merrill said she does not know any specifics about the man her daughter may have been speaking to. She said the outpouring of support from people on social media has been loud, with many sharing posters about Jones’ disappearance.
Lieutenant David Shackleton said the Mount Vernon Police Department is currently investigating the validity of all tips presented to authorities.
Jones is described as being 5’5″, about 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie, multi-coloured plaid pyjama pants and black Nike Air Force sneakers.
Anyone who may spot Jones in public is asked to promptly call 9-1-1.
Experts and authorities have long since insisted that parents should protect their children online, even as they enter their teen years. Parents are encouraged to know their children’s passwords, screen names and the friends they are talking to online.
Parents should also know the kinds of websites and social media platforms their children are using, as well as enable privacy controls to limit who can view and interact with their child’s profiles online.
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