Because one teen has been located, this story has been updated to remove the minors' names and images, per NBC Universal policy. To read the latest update, click here.
Local authorities confirmed two South Bay teenagers went missing from the South Bay area on Monday and could be together.
A 15-year-old teen was last seen on Monday near the Home Depot on Eastlake Parkway, according to the Chula Vista Police Department. The teen's mother said her daughter jumped out of her car and took off.
The same day, the 15-year-old's friend from Bonita went missing, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department confirmed. The two may be together.
The 15-year-old teen hasn't been heard from except for one image posted on the social media app Snapchat, according to her mother.
Her mother said the girl is smart and popular but recently has become secretive, started vaping and hanging out with new people.
"I noticed that my daughter had been on social media a lot and she had changed, like her personality had changed, and she didn't want me to check her phone and wouldn't give me her code and stuff like that," the mother said.
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The mother believes her daughter bailed out of the vehicle because she was upset that Romo took the teen's phone.
"She got upset and she got out of the car and took off, running, right here on Eastlake parkway and that's the last I know, and that's the last time I saw her," the mother said.
The teen's mother suspects her daughter may be a victim of human trafficking because some of the girl's friends said an older man was contacting the teen with messages that he was coming to California.
CVPD did report the disappearance to the county's Human Trafficking Task Force for investigation.
Authorities urged anyone with information on either teens' whereabouts to contact their department at (619) 692-5151.
