The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the public’s help in locating a missing teenager, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth with the FBI field office in San Diego said investigators are looking for 13-year-old Kaelynne Paez, a teen from Heber, Calif.
UPDATE: Paez has been located and reunited with her family, FBI officials announced Monday.
According to the FBI, Paez was last seen on the morning of Sept. 9 near Heber Avenue in Imperial County.
“Her family hasn't had any contact with her, so there is a lot of concern with her well-being, where she may be who she may be with,” Foxworth told NBC 7 San Diego Wednesday night.
Foxworth wouldn’t go into details, but says Paez may have met someone online.
NBC 7 did some digging and found several online profiles on adult dating websites that may have been created by Paez.
One profile featuring a photo that resembles Paez also includes this quote in the “About Me” section: “I’m Kaelynne…I love to box, play basketball, hang out, meet new people and yeah I’m single.”
That profile also claims she’s 19 years old, lives in El Centro and is interested in meeting men between the ages of 18 and 25.
"There have been situations in the past, cases that have been investigated here in San Diego that the FBI's been involved in where you have a teenager that meets someone, [they] go away with them and when they are ready to leave, they find out, I can't leave," said Foxworth.
Investigators said it’s possible that Paez may have been targeted by an online predator and could be in the company of someone she doesn’t really know. That’s why federal authorities are desperately trying to find the teen.
"We just want to find her and reunite her with her family, make sure she is okay," added Foxworth.
Investigators describe Paez as a Hispanic, 5-foot-5 female, weighing 150-pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts should immediately contact authorities.
Check back for updates on this story.
