Missing teen found safe after texting mom that she was with relatives, GA police say
UPDATE:
Christie Howard, 16, has been found safe at her home as of Feb. 2, Clayton County police confirmed to McClatchy News. No other details were provided by police.
ORIGINAL:
Georgia authorities are asking for the public’s help finding a 16-year-old who left her Atlanta-area home over the weekend and didn’t return.
Christie Howard remains missing days after she was seen around 11 a.m. on Jan. 8, before leaving her home in Riverdale, according to Clayton County police. She was reported missing the next day.
Police said the teen sent her mother a cryptic text claiming she was with an unnamed relative.
“Christie contacted her mother, via text message, advised her that she was safe & she was with a family member,” police said in a news release. “She refused to inform her mother which family member she was with.”
Christie is described as a Black female standing 5 feet, 3 inches tall with brown eyes and long, straight black hair, according to authorities. She was last seen wearing a blue Nike hoodie with white letters on the front, light-wash jeans and black book bag with “Lady Raiders volleyball” printed on it.
Anyone with information on Christie’s whereabouts is asked to contact Clayton County police at 770-477-3747.
Riverdale is about 13 miles south of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 10:19 AM.