A 14-year-old Boulder High School student who was missing for more than a week has been found alive and safe.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold told reporters on Monday afternoon during a press briefing that the missing teen, Chloe Campbell, had been found around 5 p.m. in a suburb 26 miles from Boulder, Colorado.
“While investigators continue to believe that Chloe ran away, there is an ongoing investigation about where she was and what occurred while she was separated from her family,” Herold said at the briefing, according to Fox News.
Police added that Campbell was released to her family and will undergo medical evaluation, but is not believed to have been held against her will.
Campbell was reportedly last seen on September 30 near Boulder High School, possibly 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,” Chloe’s father, David Campbell told CBS Colorado.
When Chloe didn’t return home from the football game, her parents began searching for her, including hanging fliers throughout town. After more than a week, Boulder police began asking the public for help finding Chloe.
Her father said that no one close to Chloe had had any confirmed contact with her after she disappeared, but added that they had received communications claiming to be from Chloe from a social media handle no one recognizes.
“The communications that we’ve received through third parties that purport to be from Chloe originate in a Snapchat handle that we’re not familiar with,” David said. “It could be anybody.”
David did say they have received a photo of Chloe since she disappeared, possibly proving she’s still alive but not making her parents feel any better.
“She looked injured and unwell,” David told CBS of the photo.
Authorities maintained that they were confident Chloe had been alive even as her friends and family worried something may have happened to her.
“There are indications that considerable steps were being taken by Chloe to avoid contact from law enforcement as well as her family,” Boulder Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said on Monday, according to Fox. “We, however, had indications that she was alive throughout the week.”
Last week, Boulder police said they would not issue an Amber Alert for the missing teen, saying her case did not meet the criteria for issuing such an alert despite fears from her family.
“Boulder police had no evidence to suspect that an abduction had occurred,” Redfearn said. “Detectives consulted with Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents who agreed the case did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.”
Police said the case is still under investigation.
