FORT JONES, Calif. — “Because she has been gone for so long and we haven’t found her yet, every day increases the likelihood that she could be victimized in some way, shape, or form,” said Sheriff Jon Lopey, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s been nearly a month since Jessie Starkey disappeared.
Sheriff Lopey says the 16-year-old was living in Fort Jones. She was on probation and living in a group home with other teen girls.
“We’ve run down a series of investigative leads but we’ve still not located her,” he said.
Police say Starkey was last seen on Saturday, August 3rd leaving her group home on the 5100 block of Lighthill Road.
“Any 16-year-old who is out there on the streets without any means of support or any type of support system… is vulnerable,” Sheriff Lopey said.
He says each day he becomes more worried about her welfare. He thinks Starkey may be with an adult man and could be exposed to different types of crime including sex trafficking.
“We’re very concerned and we need to return her to the home… before something happens to her,” he said.
Starkey was last seen wearing faded blue jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and a backward baseball cap.
She is 5’5″ in height, weighs 180 pounds, and has mid-length red hair. Police believe she may be in Sonoma County, which is north of San Francisco.
If you have any information about her whereabouts, you’re urged to contact police.
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