Erika VonDwingelo pictured on her Facebook page.
UPDATE: At 7:30 P.M. on January 2, Erika was found and unharmed
A 19-year-old girl in Connecticut is missing after she went out on a date with a man she met online. Erika VonDwingelo was last seen when she left her family home on New Year’s Eve to go out on a date with an adult man named Chris.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Cops Say It’s Too Early to Know If Foul Play Is Involved
(Facebook)
NBC Connecticut reports that police in Naugatuck, Connecticut, don’t know where Erika and Chris went on their date. Chris’s last name is unknown. Lt. Bryan Cammarata told the Citizen’s News in Naugatuck that it’s too early to say if foul play is involved in Erika’s disappearance.
2. She Weighs 275 Pounds & Stands at 5-Foot-7
(Pizap)
She is 5-foot-7 and weighs 275 pounds. Erika has brown hair and brown eyes, according to the Naugatuck Police Department. When she was last seen she was wearing blue jeans, a black sweatshirt and black boots. Anybody with information about her whereabouts are urged to call police in Naugatuck on 203-729-5221.
3. Her Last Facebook Post Was on December 28
According to her Facebook page, Erika works at a Stop & Shop store. She attended Housatonic Valley Regional High in Falls Village, Connecticut. Her last post on Facebook came on December 28 when she posted a selfie. Police have said that Erika lives in Naugatuck but on her page she states she was born and lives in Canaan, Connecticut.
4. Her Dad Begged Her to Call Him
(Facebook)
Her father, John, posted on Facebook begging for his daughter to call him. He wrote “Erika I love you call if you can.” It’s not clear what social media platform that Erika met Chris on, her Facebook page is active but she hasn’t used her Twitter account since January 2013 when she posted this pic:
(Twitter)
5. 76% of Kidnapped Children Are Dead Within 3 Hours
(Facebook)
According to Missingkids.com, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assists agencies in searching for abducted children after 24 hours. The website also says that 200,000 children are abducted every year by family members, 58,000 by non-family members. On the FBI’s website, there are 462,567 missing children registered. The site says that the first three hours in a missing child case are critical as 2006 study indicated that 76 percent of kidnapped children are dead within the first three hours.