AMBER ALERT issued for missing teen believed to be with 33-year-old man
LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) – An AMBER Alert has been issued for a missing endangered teenage girl believed to be with a 33-year-old man.
Officials say Isabel Shae Hicks, 14, is believed to be in extreme danger.
A joint press conference about Isabel Hicks was held Thursday at the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office.
“Isabel, I love you and I want you to come home and just let me know you’re OK,” Hicks’ mother, Cortney Lewis, said.
Hicks, 14, was last seen in her home around 1 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 21.
“We miss you very much and we want you to come home …you are my best friend. Please contact me whenever you can,” Hicks’ brother, Blake Saylor, said during a press conference on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office believes she is with 33-year-old Bruce Lynch of Bumpass, Virginia, in a silver-blue Toyota Matrix, with Virginia license plate tag VEM-9071. Authorities now say Lynch will turn 34-years-old in a couple of weeks and is a known acquaintance to the family.
A felony abduction warrant has been obtained for Lynch.
Authorities believe they may even be camping out in the woods.
“I’m still your big brother and I love you forever, and I just need my best friend back,” Saylor said.
Hicks is affectionately called Izzy Shae by those close to her.
“Friends of mine know her. They have all been posting stuff about her,” resident Kyle Britner said.
The news rocked this small close-knit community.
“I just hope they find her,” Keisha Roberts said.
Roberts knows the family of the missing girl and lives just minutes from them.
“It’s scary. It’s very scary. My daughter is friends with her and she came home from class very upset,” Roberts said.
The sheriff’s office, Virginia State Police and FBI are searching for the teen around the clock and will continue to do so until she is found.
“She’s loved and everybody’s worried about her, and we won’t stop until she comes home safely,” Major Donald Lowe with the sheriff’s office said.
Lynch is considered to be armed and potentially dangerous. Authorities say not to approach if Lynch or Hicks if they are spotted – just call police.
The Sheriff’s Office says his office is not giving up, they are asking the entire community to go on social media and share this story to get her face out there and help bring her home.
“All of our agencies have been working nonstop 24/7 and we’ve been working tirelessly…putting in a lot of effort and we are still going strong,” Lowe said.
Anyone with information on where the teen is should call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office at 540-967-1234 or Louisa Crime Solvers at 800-346-1466. You can also call the FBI at 804-261-1044 with information.