Who is Daphne Westbrook? Teen 'kidnapped by dad in 2019' spotted after she messaged friend 'begging for help’
FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA: A Tennessee teenager, who had allegedly vanished during a visit to her father's home and is suspected to be kidnapped by her dad, might have been spotted in Florida. In what police are calling a 'credible sighting', a person reported seeing a man and his teenage daughter, who seemed to match the description of Daphne, and her father, John Westbrook.
The 17-year-old teen from Chattanooga in Tennessee, disappeared with one of her pet dogs, back in October 2019. They were paying a visit to her dad John Westbrook, 43. The person who reported the sighting said he recently saw two people matching Daphne and John's description on March 6, in an old, rusty orange VW Beetle in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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According to Oxygen.com, the chief of staff for the Hamilton Country District Attorney's Office, Melydia Clewell, said authorities have information that John owns a similar vehicle and also has family in Florida. "That to us is a very credible sighting," she said. In a tweet, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation mentioned that the 1971 Volkswagen Beetle has neither a license plate nor a windshield.
Daphne's 'suicidal ideation'
This comes after Daphne is believed to have managed to recently contacted a friend, begging for help and expressing self-harm tendencies. She had allegedly called to say she was alive but considering self-harm. Tennessee Attorney General Neal Pinkston said, “Our investigation has revealed that she is presently expressing some suicidal ideations. And she has not just presently but she has a past history of that as well.”
How Daphne communicated the message, or in what form, is yet unclear. Her mother, Rhona Curtsinger, has made an appeal to her, to try and contact them again. “Please know that nobody is angry. You are so loved,” Curtsinger told Fox13. “It is not your fault you are in that situation. This is not her fault. I need her to be okay. I need that. I will do everything that I can to make sure that she is.”
'There were a lot of warning signs'
Curtsinger told the outlet that she had no idea John was either dangerous or could have done this to their child. Her belief is that he decided to take Daphne away after custody agreement allowed him only every other weekend to see her. “Looking back, hindsight, it is much clearer when you are in the moment,” she said, adding: "There were a lot of warning signs. I just didn’t see them.”
Investigators also worry John could be using drugs to keep his daughter away. After 10 different aliases, he has allegedly recently bought hair dye to stay off the radar. Explaining the situation, Pinkston, who charged John with aggravated kidnapping already, said, “She has this odd affection to him now because prior to her leaving he would give her alcohol, marijuana, LSD, mushrooms. And we know from recent witness interviews, that she’s constantly drugged and/or drinking alcohol provided by him.”
John contacted his sister after kidnapping charges
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said John was indicted on charges of aggravated kidnapping in connection to Daphne’s disappearance, on February 23. An amber alert has also been issued to help find the teenager. They think John traveled west with Daphne since he has contacts in Colorado, New Mexico, California, and even Washington. They are not ruling out the possibility of other places though, as situations have driven authorities to “become increasingly concerned for Daphne’s wellbeing”.
John is said to have expertise in disguising himself, using encrypted phones and also cryptocurrency to evade capture or detection. FBI isn't sure either what car he is using to travel around the US with his kidnapped daughter. John did contact his unnamed sister in Sebring, Florida, recently. Her house was raided this weekend, and all electronic devices seized as evidence. Her interview with the FBI is soon.