Aurora Police are asking the public for help finding a 16-year-old who has been missing for a week.
Lashaya Nae Stine was last known to have left her mother’s home after 2 a.m. July 14 without her mother’s permission.
Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz, said Saturday afternoon at a news conference that police came across information that “did cause us to have greater concern for Lashaya’s safety.”
He could not elaborate on what information that was.
Police said they have video that shows the girl in the area of East Montview Boulevard and Peoria Street after leaving her home.
Friday evening police set up a command center at North Middle School, which is just off of the intersection, and have now had assistance from multiple departments in canvassing businesses and searching the area including two parks.
Sabrina Jones, Lashaya’s mother, said Saturday that her daughter was a straight-A student at George Washington High School.
“She’s a good girl,” Jones said. “She wasn’t easy to persuade. She’s a straight-A student. She had goals, lots of goals for her future.”
Metz stressed that the new information police got has made them treat this differently from a runaway case, even though they do believe Lashaya initially left her home voluntarily to meet someone. He could not say who that person is.
He said police are still trying to determine if she may still be with that person.
Metz said that in 2015 the department had 1,443 reports of runaways. So far this year, there have been 664.
Lashaya is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds, has long black hair, brown eyes and a quarter-size round scar on her chest.
She was last seen wearing a white, long-sleeve shirt and black stone wash jeans. She typically wears a silver watch on her left arm.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
Jones made a plea to her daughter and anyone who may be with her.
“You gotta call mommy,” Jones said through tears. “I just want my baby girl back. If someone is preventing that, I’m begging you, please, let my baby go.”
