A 16-year-old’s family is searching for answers after police say she ran away to potentially meet online friends.
Katie Hong of Fremont, California, was last seen on July 25. Surveillance footage shows her walking from her family’s home to the nearby Irvington Community Park, the Fremont Police Department said Thursday. Hong left behind a note, which referenced the park and revealed that she was “running away” to potentially meet with people she knew by their online screen names.
“The note indicated the people would not provide her with their true names, and it does not appear that Katie met these people prior to her being missing,” the Fremont Police Department said.
Before she vanished, Hong was “very active on various digital platforms, including gaming platforms,” police said. Since July 25, investigators “have not located a digital footprint that was left directly” by Hong.
Hong may feel that she disappointed her parents, but it isn’t true, her father Sulghi Hong told local outlet KTVU.
"She feels that she has disappointed us,” he said. “Though we don’t agree. We are not disappointed with her. Yes, she made a mistake. But everyone does.”
Hong’s family has started a GoFundMe as the search continues. The funds will go toward hiring private investigators, legal expenses and counseling for Hong’s sister. The money will also cover her parents’ daily expenses as they take time off work to focus on the search.
“Katie is a vibrant, intelligent, and beautiful young woman,” the GoFundMe reads. “Her smile lights up every room, and she has always been mature beyond her years.”
Both of Hong’s parents are deaf, but she is hearing, KTVU reports. Her father works at the California School for the Deaf, where students and faculty have also joined the search efforts.
“As the daughter of two deaf parents, Katie has played an essential and selfless role in our family, always helping, always supporting, always loving,” the GoFundMe says.
Hong’s family is desperate “to hear from her so that we know she’s safe,” her uncle, James Han, told KTVU.
"She could be with somebody still, she could be by herself, she could be at a shelter," he said. "We don't know who, we don't know what, we don't know where or what their motive is.”
The last location record on Hong’s phone is at Irvington Community Park, around the same time surveillance footage captured her walking. Police believe she left the phone at the park.
Police are still working to identify the people Hong was set to meet.
“Based on the cumulative, verifiable evidence at this time, Katie is believed to be voluntarily missing,” police said Thursday.
Police described Hong as 5 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds. She has brown eyes, dark brown hair and braces. She was wearing a navy-blue mid zip-up jacket, grey sweats, and a red Patagonia backpack, the police department said in an update Saturday.
The Fremont Police Department is encouraging anyone with information to reach out to their investigations unit or tip line.
“Please help us bring Katie home,” the department said. “She is at-risk missing based on current circumstances.”
A spokesperson for the Fremont Police Department told The Independent they do not have any further updates to share as of Tuesday morning.
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