Chloe Campbell is a 14-year-old Colorado girl who went missing on September 30, 2022. Chloe was found safe on October 10, 2022, Boulder Police say. She was found in Thornton, Colorado, police said in a statement.
“Boulder Police Department, working in collaboration with state and federal agencies and neighboring local jurisdictions, located missing 14-year-old Chloe Campbell at about 5 p.m. today at a residence in Thornton,” police said. “She has been brought to a hospital for medical evaluation, and her parents have been notified. Police will ensure the teen and her family receive appropriate social services support.”
Police added, “While investigators continue to believe that Chloe ran away, there is an ongoing investigation about where she was and what occurred while she was separated from her family. Some details are being withheld at this time to allow for a thorough investigation.”
Police Chief Maris Herold said in a statement, “We are incredibly grateful for the partnership of state and federal agencies, who through a variety of investigative efforts, helped our detectives bring Chloe home. We are also appreciative of the outpouring of community and media interest in this case.”
Before she was located, her family said she was possibly with an adult male. Before she was found, police issued a statement about Chloe after receiving criticism on social media about their efforts to find her. “Boulder police are seeking the community’s assistance in locating a missing 14-year-old girl who is believed to be a runaway but could be in danger,” the October 8 statement said.
On October 10, just hours before she was located, Chloe’s family wrote on a website set-up to provide updates on the case, “After 10 days, our beloved 14 year old daughter, Chloe Campbell, is still missing. While we are grateful that the Boulder Police Department and news sources are finally taking this case seriously, broadening the call for help and legitimizing the situation, we remain gravely concerned that she may be under the influence of dangerous persons who are preventing her from voluntarily coming home.”
Her family added, “We have no credible communication from Chloe herself in 10 full days, and we believe there are still friends who know more than they have shared with law enforcement. We are working closely with law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to bring Chloe home.” Anyone with information is asked to call or text 720-507-5379, or contact the Boulder Police at 303-441-3333 (choose option 8 and refer to case #22-9868) or leave an anonymous tip at 1-800-THE-LOST (refer to report #146-2673).
Boulder Police said, “Chloe’s loved ones have posted fliers around town, and police are hoping that amplifying this message will help in reuniting the child with her family. Chloe’s family wants Chloe to know that they just want her home safe and that she is not in trouble.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Chloe Campbell Was Last Seen at a Boulder High School Football Game
Boulder Police said Chloe Campbell was last seen September 30, 2022, at a Boulder High School football game. In their statement, Boulder Police said, “Investigators have received some information from friends who appear to have been in contact with Chloe, and there have been a few reported sightings of her in and around the Boulder area. However, no one in her family has spoken with Chloe since Sept. 30.”
At a press conference after she was found, police said, “Boulder police became aware of Chloe’s recent disappearance on Oct. 1, when a runaway report was filed by her father. Information about her was entered into the Nationwide computer CCIC/NCIC as soon as the initial report was taken, and a ‘be on the lookout’ alert was released to agencies statewide. The case was then assigned to a detective with the Special Victims Unit. Boulder police were in contact with the FBI for over the past week and met with representatives of that agency again today. The National Center for Missing and Endangered Children was also involved.”
Police previously said, “Friends have received messages that they believe could be from Chloe saying she is safe with a ‘family’ in Arizona and does not want to return home, but family and police have been unable to confirm if these messages are, in fact, from Chloe or true.” Chloe’s family said on their website, “Please continue to press your children if they have information about her whereabouts – and have them come forward.”
Chloe’s mother, Dr. Jessica Knape, wrote on Facebook before her daughter was found, “Chloe is still missing and in danger. We have gained more support with the press and law enforcement but we are needing to widen our search efforts to Arizona after we have received tips that Chloe may have been taking there by an adult male. If you live in Arizona or know others that do, please share this poster.”
Chloe’s father, David Campbell, told Fox31 during the search, “Chloe never came home and we became very concerned. We started investigating and we found that she was last seen with two older men both around lunchtime at Boulder High on Friday and also at the football game. These men were described as being sketchy and too old to be high school students. We have gotten tips from various parties claiming that she is in Arizona and that she’s ‘safe’ and that she has money and that she’s with a family in Arizona. We want to make it clear that we do not have family in Arizona, so this is very suspicious to us.”
Her mother gave the news station a message for her daugher, “We just want you home safe and sound. If you can’t come home we won’t stop looking for you. We are going to use every resource on this planet to find you and bring you home safe. We love you so much, honey.”
2. Chloe Campbell’s Father Says They Received a Photo of Her Looking ‘Injured & Unwell’
Boulder PoliceChloe Campbell has been missing since September 30.
Chloe’s father told CBS News, “The communications that we’ve received through third parties that purport to be from Chloe originate in a Snapchat handle that we’re not familiar with. It could be anybody.” He said they received a concerning photo of her from an anonymous source. He told CBS News “she looked injured and unwell” in the picture.
He added, “She was described by eyewitnesses as being with two men. Older men. Too old to be in high school. One of whom was Asian and the other who had a beard.” He said she was also seen on the Boulder Creek Trail and was possibly intoxicated, CBS News reported.
Angeline Hartman, of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, tweeted before she was found, “Chloe was last seen at a football game in Boulder, Colorado. Her family: Friends say she may be with men, or older boys, who could be involved with drug dealing and who may have violent criminal records. Chloe is vulnerable and is critically at-risk.”
Chloe’s parents said they feared she was possibly being held against her will or has been trafficked into another state. Her mother told CBS News, “Chloe, honey… we love you so much. You are not in trouble. If you can come home please do and if you can’t, we will not stop until we find you.”
3. JonBenet Ramsey’s Brother Has Criticized Boulder Police’s Efforts to Find Chloe
In a Facebook post while she was still missing, Chloe’s mother, father and stepfather, Carlos Romo, wrote, “Please help communicate in the community that regardless of the circumstances of Chloe’s disappearance, Chloe is a 14 year old child who has not been home for 7 days, is vulnerable due to several factors, and is still very much critically at-risk. Her family’s top priority is returning her to safety.”
Her father told Fox31, “The pushback that we got from both Boulder High and Boulder police saying hey it’s no big deal she’s just a runaway was frustrating, but we never stopped investigating.”
Boulder Police said in their statement, “Police do not have any additional information to share with the public at this time, and as such, will not be doing any media interviews. Chloe’s family has indicated they would be willing to speak with reporters.”
John Andrew Ramsey, the brother of JonBenet Ramsey, whose 1996 killing at her family’s Boulder home remains unsolved, wrote on Twitter, “Damnit
@boulderpolice get off your a** and find this child! Have you ever met a 14yr old kid? Not usually trusted to make sound rational decisions. #boulder #chloecampbell.”
Boulder Police said at a press conference after she was found, “As a reminder to the public, the use of Amber Alerts is carefully regulated by law. This tool is to be used in cases of suspected abductions and is limited to the most serious of situations to avoid public fatigue, which could counteract the importance of these alerts. Boulder police had no evidence to suggest that an abduction has occurred in this case. Detectives consulted with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents, who concurred that the circumstances surrounding Chloe’s disappearance did not meet the criteria.”
4. Police Say the Circumstances Surrounding Chloe’s Disappearance Don’t Meet the Requirements for an Amber Alert
In a statement before she was found, Boulder Police said, “This case presently does not meet the criteria for the issuance of an Amber Alert, but investigators are growing increasingly concerned about the teen’s safety as it is believed that she has no access to money or her medication. She may be with an adult male.”
Chloe’s mother wrote on Facebook in the days before she was found, “Because Chloe’s case was initially designated as ‘runaway’ and not ‘missing,’ law enforcement and school authorities have downplayed the critical nature of the case, which has caused much angst. We are working collaboratively with the authorities to get the case the proper designation and we have retained a private investigator in the interim to continue investigating leads. We asks that all communication with and about law enforcement is respectful at all times, prioritizing our ability to work with them to find Chloe.”
Police said at a press conference after she was found, “Detectives had frequent contact with Chloe’s family and communicated with several acquaintances of the missing teenager. There were numerous reported sightings as well as social media activity, which was pursued diligently by investigators.
5. Chloe’s Family Says There Have Been Many Conspiracy Theories & False Rumors Surrounding the Case
Family PhotoChloe Campbell.
Chloe’s family have said they had to deal with rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories online. They wrote on Facebook, “Please correct inaccurate social media posts and re-direct those who are seeking information here: FINDCTB.ORG. This site will be updated by the family with the latest updates regarding her status.”
Her family told Yellow Scene Magazine, a local news site, they have seen fake obituaries for their daughter from sites that attempt to look like real news organizations, theories that family members have played a role in her disappearance for money or media attention, incorrect tweets that she was found, both dead and alive, reports of fake GoFundMe accounts and “a number of bizarre, conspiratorial YouTube videos have been made by channels that seemingly have no connection to Boulder County or the family.” Yellow Scene wrote:
Knape told YS that she has no knowledge of any kind of GoFundMe or any other fundraising service being started in her daughter’s name, stating that their family is not in need of any kind of financial help. She also has received reports that her daughter has been sighted alive and potentially in the company of an adult male from Longmont, presumed to be around 19 or 20 years old with a history of drug use and criminal activity. She believes that, due to her daughter’s mental and physical illnesses and the potential impairment of drugs and/or alcohol, her daughter may not currently be in her right state of mind and therefore is in serious danger.
Chloe’s mother told the magazine her daughter does not have a history of running away. Knape told CBS News Chloe, “has a really good sense of humor and she’s full of life.” Yellow Scene wrote, “The family has also sought to elevate the case beyond the investigating officer, Detective Cody Hartkopp, by reaching out to his superiors and Boulder Chief of Police Maris Herold to little avail. ”
Boulder Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said at the press conference after Chloe was found, “Our department diligently addressed this case from the time we first became aware of it. The investigation was consistent with known best practices for runaway children. We are relieved that Chloe has been found.”