Chloe Campbell, 14, was last seen at a Boulder High School football game on September 30, accompanied by two ‘older sketchy men’ before witnesses claim they saw her looking ‘intoxicated’ on a trail close by. She was found on Monday at a house in Thornton
A 14-year-girl who disappeared from a school event 10 days ago has been found alive at a home in Thornton, Colorado.
Maris Herold, the Boulder police chief, announced on Monday evening that Chloe Campbell had been located around 5pm, at a residential address.
Police said she appeared to be unharmed. They would not confirm whether she knew the people she was found with, but insisted: ‘We have no belief at this time that she was held against her will.’
Chloe disappeared on September 30 after being spotted at a Boulder High School football game and was last seen by witnesses looking ‘intoxicated’ on Boulder Creek Trail.
She was described as being with two ‘sketchy older men’, and her father said she was a ‘high risk’ target for predators.
David Campbell said his daughter Chloe had been ‘struggling since the pandemic’ and believed that she may have been targeted by traffickers, strongly criticizing local police for what he felt was their inaction on the case.
Questions were asked as to why an Amber Alert was not issued for the teenager, but on Monday evening Boulder police defended their operation, and said they knew she was alive all the time. They insisted they were right in classing her disappearance as a runaway, rather than an abduction.
‘While investigators continue to believe that Chloe ran away, there is an ongoing investigation into where she was and what occurred while she was separated from her family,’ Herold told a press conference on Monday evening.
Deputy Chief Stephen Redfearn said that Boulder police learnt of her disappearance on October 1, when her father reported her missing.
‘Detectives had frequent contact with Chloe’s family, and communicated with numerous acquaintances,’ he said.
He defended their decision not to issue an Amber Alert, saying it was limited to ‘suspected abductions’.
Stephen Redfearn, deputy chief of Boulder police, defended the police efforts to find her, and insisted they had been correct to treat the case as a runaway rather than an abduction
Redfearn said that detectives spent ‘hours and hours’ combing social media for clues
Chloe Campbell was last seen on September 30. Police said they were informed of her disappearance on October 1, but always believed she had run away – despite her father suspecting she may have been targeted by traffickers
Her parents launched a desperate attempt to bring their daughter home, by hanging flyers around town
Dr Jessica Knape confirmed that her daughter (pictured) had not been able to take her medication for her underlying health conditions
Redfearn added: ‘Boulder police had no evidence to suggest an abduction had occurred.’
He said a ‘Missing and Endangered Persons Alert’ would have been issued on Monday, had she not been found.
‘We had indications she was alive throughout the week,’ Redfearn said.
‘Our detectives pursued multiple leads throughout the week, and we were confident based on several things that she was alive.
‘We never throughout the week had any indication she was in harms way,’ he added.
He said detectives spent ‘hours and hours’ combing through social media.
‘We have no belief at this time that she was held against her will,’ he said.
Her parents claimed they reported her missing the night of September 30, and complained took police until October 8 – eight days later – to urge anyone with information about her whereabouts to come forward.
David Campbell warned those who he thought could have taken his daughter that he would find them, and the family will ‘never stop until Chloe is home safe.’
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said it was ‘working closely’ with the Campbell family to help locate the missing teen.
The teenager’s parents said they were passed an ominous photo by one of their daughters’ friends from an anonymous Snapchat account.
While the image proved that she was alive, her parents said she looked ‘injured and unwell’, adding that it could have been sent ‘from anyone’.
David Campbell, right, said his daughter Chloe had been ‘struggling since the pandemic’
The family of the teenager received a sinister photo from an anonymous Snapchat profile which showed Chloe looking ‘injured and unwell’
Chloe was last seen by the football pitch at Boulder High School on September 30
Chloe was a student at Boulder High School in Colorado
On Monday morning, Chloe’s parents said they were ‘relieved’ police were ‘finally taking this case seriously’.
Yet Boulder police on Monday night insisted they always acted appropriately, and with the right level of attention.
Among those criticizing the cops for their response was John Ramsey, half-brother of murdered JonBenét Ramsey, who told DailyMail.com Chloe’s case was being treated with the same ‘apathy’ as his sister’s.
Chloe’s family feared that she may have been trafficked and was being held against her will – and received multiple tips that their daughter was 600 miles away in Arizona.
She was found far closer to home, located in a house 25 miles away from her school, in Thornton, Colorado.
Her father said: ‘I am not an expert in trafficking but what I do know that the tactics of tactics of traffickers is to prey on young girls that are at high risk and Chloe has been struggling since the pandemic she has many risk factors that these types of predators prey on.
‘I’m speaking to you right now – whoever you are that’s keeping Chloe from coming home: know that we are looking for you and that we are going to find you and we are never going to stop until Chloe is home safe.’
The anonymous Snapchat was the only communication the family received, from someone they believe is a ‘third party’ pretending to be their daughter – adding that the profile ‘could be anybody.’
The name on the account is not one they were familiar with and it was unclear when they received the message.
Several friends also apparently received messaged from her, with communications on Snapchat vanishing immediately after they are opened.
Her parents feared that her friends or other young teenagers are keeping information from authorities out of concern for their own safety.
Dr Jessica Knape Romo, her mother, and David, hired private investigators to look into the whereabouts of their daughter.
It was unclear whether the private investigator’s work helped the police.
Knape and Campbell said their daughter had several underlying physical and mental health conditions, which she had not been able to take her medication for.
In a statement on Monday morning they said: ‘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 sources are finally taking this case seriously, broadening the call for help and legitimizing the situation, we remain gravely concerned that she may be being trafficked and is not able to voluntarily come home.
‘We have no credible 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.
David warned those who he thinks could have taken his daughter that he will find them, and the family will ‘never stop until Chloe is home safe.’ The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was also ‘working closely’ with Chloe’s family
Several friends reportedly received messages from the missing teenager, but her parents say they have come from social media accounts that they are unfamiliar with
‘We are working closely with law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to bring Chloe home. ‘
Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications, NCMEC, told DailyMail.com: ‘The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is working closely with Chloe’s family to help them find answers about her disappearance.
‘Time is critical and we are asking the public to get involved and share her story. You never know when you could be that one person who could help bring a missing child home.’
Her mother added that she may be with one or several people who are men or older boys who could be ‘involved with drug dealing and who may have violent criminal records.’
Speaking to Fox News, her father David added: ‘Chloe never came home and we became very concerned, started investigating, and found that she was last seen with two older men.
‘She was described by eyewitnesses as being with two men. Older men. Too old to be in high school. One of whom was Asian and the other who had a beard.
‘This was around lunchtime at Boulder High and also a football game, these two men are described as being sketchy.
‘The pushback that we got from both Boulder High and Boulder police saying hey it’s no big deal she’s just a runaway was frustrating, but we never stopped investigating.’
Her mother described her as ‘vivacious and funny’, adding that they would use ‘every resource in this planet’ to bring her home safe and sound.
The brother of murdered JonBenet Ramsey, John Ramsey, has also taken aim at Boulder Police over their response to the missing 14-year-old. The pageant queens slaying has never been solved by the police force, despite several breakthroughs since the 1996 killing
Ramsey tweeted: ‘Damnit Boulder get off you’re a** and find this child! Have you ever met a 14yr old kid? Not usually trusted to make sound rational decisions’
Her mother described her as ‘vivacious and funny’, adding that they would use ‘every resource in this planet’ to bring her home safe and sound
Boulder Police eventually said she might be ‘in danger’ despite initially dismissing the case as a ‘runaway’
David warned those who he thinks could have taken his daughter that he will find them, and the family will ‘never stop until Chloe is home safe’
‘Chloe’s loved ones have posted fliers around town, and police are hoping that amplifying this message will help in reuniting the child with her family,’ Boulder Police said.
‘Chloe’s family wants Chloe to know that they just want her home safe and that she is not in trouble.’
A statement from Boulder High School added: ‘We have been in close contact with the Boulder Police Department, as they have been investigating a missing BVSD student from Boulder High School who failed to come home after last Friday’s Boulder High vs. Fairview football game (on September 30).
‘While they have classified the case as a runaway, they are now indicating that the student may be in danger, which is why we are reaching out to share the information with our community.
‘Please see the information below from the Boulder Police Department website and if you have any information, please contact Detective Cody Hartkopp with the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3330.’
Anyone with information should contact Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333 option 8 and reference case 22-9868 or Chloe’s full name: Chloe Campbell.
For a completely anonymous tip, call 1-800-THE-LOST, press #1 and refer to report 146-2673.