Update: The teenager has been found safe. An older version of the story is below.
Authorities are asking for the public's help in their search for a 16-year-old girl from Raynham, Massachusetts, who has been missing for a week and may be in danger.
The girl is believed to have left her Raynham home between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Oct. 18. Tuesday. Police said in a press release later that day that a family member reported her missing from the area of Orchard Street and King Street.
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Investigators now believe the teen may be in danger and may have traveled about 100 miles away from her home. Police are working with the National Crime Information Center and with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The teenager is about 5 feet tall and 120 pounds with red and pink hair. She was last known to be wearing black glasses and possibly a sweatshirt and leggings.
Her mother was in tears Tuesday.
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"My fear is that she is somewhere being held against her will, and that she wants to reach out to me, and she wants to call me, and she wants to come home, but somebody's not letting her," her mom told NBC10 Boston.
She said that police are looking into the possibility that her daughter met someone online, and that a stranger lured her out of their house in the middle of the night, pretending to be a teenage boy.
The instant messaging app Discord was of particular concern to her mom; she says it was among the tabs open on her son's laptop that the girl allegedly snagged the day she went missing.
There were also screenshots and directions to her home in Raynham on the laptop, Kristen Weaver said.
The girl has cognitive and learning disabilities, according to her mother, and is not allowed to use social media sites, computers or cellphones unattended.
"She has family, she has friends, she has community, everybody is just missing her so much. Her dog just wanders around the house constantly looking for her," her mom said.
NBC10 Boston reached out to Raynham police about the theory of the girl being tricked out of her home, but did not hear back Tuesday night.
Anyone with information is asked to call 508-824-2717 or 911.
An hourlong candlelight vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday at the First Congregational Church of Raynham.
