by Colorado teenager Chloe Campbell has been found alive in a home in the state after she disappeared 10 days ago, police said.
The 14-year-old was discovered at a home in the state, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold announced Monday night.
The teenager was last seen on Sept. 30 near Boulder High School, where she attended a football game with two older men in what her family has described as a “program.”
Officials say he was found at a home in Thornton, Colo., around 5 p.m. and taken to a hospital for evaluation, police told reporters.
Investigators say it appears she ran away from home and was not kidnapped.
Here’s everything we know.
Who is Chloe Campbell?
Chloe attends Boulder High School. He was last seen on September 30 at one of the school’s football games and then on a walking trail.
According to her parents, she went for a walk on the Boulder Creek Trail shortly after the game.
Chloe Campbell, 14, was last seen at a football game at Boulder High School
(Screengrab/Video CBS News)
Her father, David Campbell, said she was seen walking down the path with two elderly men.
“She was described by eyewitnesses as being with two men. Older men. Too old to go to high school. One was Asian and the other had a beard,” he said.
Her parents started looking for her as soon as she failed to return home. They started posting flyers in their town asking where he was. After a week, Boulder police began searching, but have yet to issue an Amber Alert for her.
Police said her disappearance “does not yet meet the criteria for an Amber Alert” but that they are “increasingly concerned” that she “does not have access to her money or medication”. They noted that “she may be with a grown man.”
Photo submitted anonymously
Sometime after her disappearance, Chloe’s parents received a disturbing photo of their daughter from an anonymous sender.
According to her parents, the photo shows Khloe looking “hurt and unwell”. They did not provide further details about the content of the photo.
The photo isn’t the only strange message Chloe’s parents and investigators have received since her disappearance.
Investigators who searched for her said friends told her she had reached out and revealed she was safe with “family” in Arizona and had no interest in returning to Boulder. According to Chloe’s parents, none of the accounts with these claims belonged to their daughter.
“Communications we’ve received through third parties purporting to be from Chloe are coming from a Snapchat handle we’re not aware of,” her father told CBS News. “It could be anyone.”
Police were unable to verify the authenticity of the messages.
(Boulder Police)
Chloe’s parents said they fear she has been kidnapped and trafficked for sex.
Her parents made an emotional appeal for her to return home if she could.
“Chloe, my love… we love you so much. You have no problem,” her mother said. “If you can come home please do and if you can’t we won’t stop until we find you.”
On Monday morning the family said in a statement, via a regularly updated Google Doc: “After 10 days, our beloved 14-year-old daughter, Chloe Campbell, is still missing. While we are grateful that the Boulder Police Department and news outlets are finally taking this case seriously, expanding the call for help and legitimizing the situation, we remain deeply concerned that she may be under the influence of dangerous individuals who are preventing her from voluntarily coming Home .
“We have not had any reliable communication from Chloe herself in 10 full days and we believe there are still friends who know more than they have shared with law enforcement. We are working closely with law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to bring Chloe home.”
Chloe was found alive at home in the state
“There is an ongoing investigation into her whereabouts and what happened when she was separated from her family,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said on Oct. 10.
Authorities say there is “no evidence” that a kidnapping took place.
“We have no reason to believe at this time that she was held against her will,” Deputy Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
Officials said no further information would be released due to Chloe’s age and privacy concerns.
