PARENTS of a missing teenager are asking the public for information about their daughter’s whereabouts.
Veronica Hayden Dininger, 17, was last seen on July 21, and now her parents are begging anyone who knows her location to come forward.
Her mother, Jessica McClellan, said she last saw her daughter at their home in Wellington, Ohio, on Saturday night.
“She came down and said, ‘Mom, do you want me to let the dogs out?”’ McClellan told the ABC affiliate WEWS.
McClellan said she told her daughter, “that would be great,” and never heard from her again.
Dininger’s mother said the teen has run away from home before, but this time seems different.
“I can say with certainty that it was an uncontrolled situation. Certainly, in the beginning, I honestly believe that I don’t know now if there is foul play involved,” McClellan said.
“And that’s what’s really destroying me.”
The teenager’s stepfather, Martin McClellan, also believes the girl ran away, but now fears for her life.
“Every day it gets more dangerous, and we don’t think she realizes that,” he said.
The couple said the teenager got into trouble on July 14, just days before her disappearance, causing her phone to be taken away.
However, on July 19, the parents discovered that their daughter had a secret second phone hidden away.
At the time of Dininger’s disappearance, she was caught on camera releasing the dogs while carrying a large bag.
Her parents believe she may be using her second phone to communicate with an unknown person.
“She has her back to the camera,” Dininger’s mother recalled.
“So I don’t know if she has something in her hands.
“Like maybe another device where she’s texting and like, Hey, am I out there or not, I don’t know, I can only imagine.”
Two minutes later, the teenager picked up her backpack and left the house.
The McClellans said their daughter logged into Snapchat several times, which they believe was to confuse investigators about her location.
“Well, we think it’s not just by chance. Right? Yes. So someone was involved in this idea?” his mother said.
“I don’t think she would come up with that on her own.”
Dininger was last seen leaving her home wearing gray sweatpants, a gray or light blue crewneck sweatshirt and white Nike sneakers with a black logo.
Anyone with information about his location can contact the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story