Loved ones of a missing Southern California teenager are asking for the public’s help to bring her back home, KTLA-TV reports.
Zoey Josephine Mirene Lopez, 16, was last seen on July 22 leaving her residence in La Puente, east of Los Angeles.
The teen’s mother, Adella Lopez, told the television station that the day Zoey went missing started out as normal and everything seemed fine. Adella said her daughter left for what she believed would be a brief walk.
But Zoey, who was 15 years old at the time, never returned and has not been seen or heard from since.
“I just love her and miss her so much,” Adella Lopez told KTLA-TV. “I need her to come back home to me.”
Those close to the teen said vanishing without a trace is “very unusual behavior for her,” according to KTLA-TV.
Police believe the teen might be in the nearby communities of Riverside, San Bernardino, or Santa Monica, according to the television station. It was not immediately clear why authorities focused on those areas and whether they believe Zoey is missing voluntarily or is being held against her will.
Zoey is about 5-foot-1 and weighs approximately 130 pounds; she has brown eyes and had brown hair at the time she vanished, according to Valley News.
To report information about Zoey, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 1-626-330-3322.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Feature Photo: Zoey Lopez/NCMEC]
