UPDATE (April 7, 2014,):
Local officials have found a body in a river near Hope Mills, North Carolina, as reported by WBTW News. The family of missing teen Danielle Locklear have been notified, but no confirmation has yet been made regarding the identification of the deceased.
Danielle Locklear
Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: July 10, 1998
Missing Date: March 11, 2014
Age Now: 15
Missing City: Hope Mills
Missing State: North Carolina
Case Number: NCMEC1229704
Gender: Female
Race: Biracial
Complexion: Light
Height: 5’1″
Weight: 150
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Green
Wear Glasses or Contacts: Yes
Location Last Seen: Danielle, who was staying with her grandparents, was last seen about 9:45 p.m., when she left their home on Trencholm Lane in the Fox Meadow subdivision off Legion Road.
Circumstances of Disappearance: Danielle said she was going to walk to a neighbor’s house. It’s unknown if Danielle ever made it to her destination. Her clothes were found at a nearby creek two days after her disappearance.
The community has come together following Danielle’s disappearance. So many volunteers showed up to search an area where she might have gone missing that people had to be turned away. On Sunday, 1,000 balloons were launched to help raise awareness about the case.
“Danielle, baby, if you see these balloons, come home,” said Danielle’s mother Rowna Fowler, the Fayetteville Observer reported.
Police have received hundreds of tips and are processing them all.
“We’re not giving up,” said Chena Simmons, Danielle’s aunt. “We still have hope in our hearts and minds that she’s alive and that she will come home.”
Last Seen Wearing: She may wear glasses.
Identifying Marks or Characteristics: She is biracial.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Danielle Locklear should contact the Hope Mills Police Department at (910) 425-4103 and the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line. A $7,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that leads to her recovery.