A Tennessee teen who has been missing since 2019 may be being held against her will, states away from her home, police said.
KIRO 7 reports that Daphne Westbrook, 17, of Chattanooga, disappeared in October 2019, along with her two dogs, Fern and Strawberry. According to police, Daphne’s father, John Oliver Westbrook, is accused of kidnapping his daughter and stopping all communications with her family.
“I didn’t know that that was the last time I’d see her, when she said goodbye to just spend that weekend with her dad,” Daphne’s mother, Rhona Curtsinger, told the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Authorities said Daphne may be in danger both physically and mentally, and unable to communicate with the outside world. John Westbrook, according to investigators, is an expert in IT. His calls and other communications are reportedly nearly impossible to trace.
“He’s used approximately 10 aliases since he left,” Hamilton County District Attorney General Neil Pinkston said. “He’s very adept at hiding his location, identity, and hers as well.”
“At one point in the trip he purchased hair dye and fake teeth so altered appearances. Bitcoin and block chain analysis are anonymous financial transactions that don’t involve banks. He also uses virtual and Voiceover ip telephone numbers so that you can’t rely on cellular telephone companies to provide location or GPS data.”
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SOUGHT IN LOCATING MISSING TEEN LAST SEEN IN TWO WESTERN STATES
(Daphne Westbrook believed to be held…
Posted by Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Westbrook spent a little over a month in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was said to have been in the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Denver areas of Colorado. Daphne’s bible was found in a trash can outside Trader Joe’s off of West Cordova Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in February, NBC 3 reports.
Pinkston said that Daphne is likely being given drugs and alcohol.
“She’s being held against her will,” Pinkston said. “Through witness testimony, she’s constantly being given drugs and alcohol that keeps her in an altered state.”
Anyone with information should contact the Hamilton County, Tennessee DA’s office at 1-423-209-7425. You can also submit tips to FindingDaphne@hcdatn.org.
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[Feature Photo: Daphne Westbrook/Handout]
