17-year-old missing for over a week left school with man she met on app, WA family says
A 17-year-old girl has been missing for over a week after leaving her high school in Washington with a man she met on an app, her family said.
Zoey Robards’ family has been looking for her since Sept. 26.
Tim Robards told McClatchy News his daughter was picked up from Union High School in Vancouver by an 18-year-old man she met on Wizz — a social-networking app where people can chat with others from around the world.
McClatchy News, which reached out to Wizz for comment, is not naming the 18-year-old because he is not facing charges, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Her family became worried when she never got off the bus, so they reported her missing at about 7 p.m. that same day.
Then, Tim Robards said, one of her friends helped him find her last location that day, which was in Forest Grove, Oregon, at about 2 p.m.
He called police and drove to Forest Grove with his son and began searching a walking trail that night, but there weren’t any signs of her.
The Forest Grove Police Department confirmed Zoey Robards was with the 18-year-old man because they were pulled over the day she went missing, Tim Robards said.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed to McClatchy News that Zoey Robards was spotted with the man on Sept. 26 in a 2002 Subaru Legacy.
She was last seen on Sept. 29 in Portland when the vehicle she had been in got impounded, he said.
Tim Robards is still working with police to find his missing daughter.
“We’ve been posting all over social media,” he said. “We’re getting tons of leads, you know, some that are good, some that aren’t.”
Zoey Robards is 6 feet tall, weighs about 180 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes, according to a release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
She was last seen in a black Nike sweatshirt, black leggings and black Crocs with basketball pins. She has a nose piercing on her left nostril, deputies said.
Her father said someone confirmed she’s wearing different clothes and dressing more “gothy.”
Anyone with information about the teen can contact Detective Estefania Silveria at 564-397-2211 or by email at Estefania.silveria@clark.wa.gov.
A tip can also be left by calling the sheriff’s department tip line at 564-397-2847. The case number is 23007777.
“We all love her and want her home,” Tim Robards said.
Vancouver, Washington, is about 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 2:58 PM with the headline "17-year-old missing for over a week left school with man she met on app, WA family says."
