ROCKVILLE, Md. — UPDATE (8/22):
The teenage girl was found in Baltimore City after a mall employee recognized her. She has since been reunited with her family.
Original Story:
It's been over a month since their daughter was last seen. Her family and friends have been desperately searching for the 15-year-old ever since.
On July 11, the teen's parents, Mayyasa and Jason said their daughter went to bed like normal. When they checked on her later that night, she was nowhere to be found.
“She’s not home where she needs to be," Mayyasa said of her daughter. "I don’t know where she is now. I’m praying she’s still local."
Her parents believe she was groomed and lured away from her family online.
“It looks like she left voluntarily, initially," Mayyasa said. "Now it looks like she’s in a situation she can’t control. There’s no communication whatsoever.”
Their daughter was last seen near Whole Foods the night she went missing around 9:30 pm. Security cameras placed her on Executive Blvd and Woodglen Drive in Rockville.
The Montgomery County Police Department has been following up on dozens of leads. Nothing has panned out, yet, and there is no word on whether Sophia is still in town.
Captain Jeff Bunge, with the Montgomery County Police Department, says they are not ruling anything out.
“In the beginning, there are lots of leads, as we go through those things, things don’t pan out," Bunge said. "Certainly, as time goes on, things become more difficult for us.”
With every passing minute, the teen's parents grow more worried. The family said she has severe allergies and heavily relies on medication. She left without her phone, money and medication, which her mother says is extremely rare.
“We love you so much," Mayyasa said, speaking to her missing daughter. "She knows we’ll fight tooth and nail to bring her home. It doesn’t matter what happened. We just want her home."
