Authorities in Tennessee suspect that a missing and endangered teenager is being held by her father against her will, possibly in Colorado.
John Oliver Westbrook has been indicted and charged with aggravated kidnapping in Tennessee. He is suspected of kidnapping his 17-year-old daughter, Daphne Westbrook, in October of 2019, according to the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office.
Overtime, Westbrook as left a trail in Denver, Pueblo and Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to a news release. Daphne disappeared, along with her dogs, Fern and Strawberry, from Chattanooga after a weekend visit with Westbrook.
“Daphne is being held against her will, unable to communicate with the outside world,” the DA’s office said. “Our investigation shows she is endangered both physically and mentally.”
In February, Daphne’s Bible was found in a trash can outside a Trader Joe’s in Santa Fe, on West Cordova Road, the release said. Investigate leads show Westbrook shopping at Santa Fe area stores. In November, Daphne was seen in the Denver area and last month Westbrook spent several weeks in the Pueblo area.
Westbrook is described as an “IT expert specializing in security, block chain technology, and bitcoin. He is communicating in a way that’s almost impossible to trace, which makes it extremely difficult for investigators to generate significant leads in this case.”
The fugitive is “earning money contracting with small businesses to do computer security work,” the release said.
Westbrook takes Daphne on occasional horseback rides, according to the release, and investigators ask people in equestrian communities to be alert and on the lookout.
“Daphne is increasingly at serious risk of physical and emotional danger, and we need your help to find her,” the DA’s office said.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office are aiding in the investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Hamilton DA’s office at 423-209-7415; or email tips to: [email protected]. The Santa Fe DA’s office tip line is 505-428-6926; or email [email protected].
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