CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A missing Chesapeake girl was found safe Tuesday night, but questions remain about her well-being.
News 3 has made an editorial decision not to seek an interview with the girl or share social media videos of her speaking about her disappearance because she's a minor and remains in a crisis situation that is still evolving with police and Child Protective Services. Instead, we reached out to police and the girl's family to learn more information.
News 3 first reported on the disappearance of 14-year-old Deborah "Abby" Jenkins shortly after a CODI Alert was issued for her Monday at 7:15 a.m. She's since been found safe, police shared Tuesday just before 9 p.m. They said she was found by herself.
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The teen spoke on a social media video shortly after she was located. In that video, she's heard saying she went with 41-year-old James Bell to escape abusive conditions at her guardian's home. Police said Child Protective Services would look into any abuse allegations.
When issuing the CODI Alert, police said Jenkins' disappearance posed a credible threat to her health and safety.
When the alert was issued, Chesapeake police shared that Jenkins was last seen at the Comfort Inn on South Military Highway with Bell. Police told us Bell was known to Jenkins, and we later confirmed with Jenkins' family that Bell is the ex-boyfriend of Jenkins' current guardian. News 3 later learned that Bell was a convicted sex offender and was suspected of abduction in her disappearance — a detail we confirmed only after researching and pressing police for answers.
Chesapeake police did not share information about Bell's sex offender status or that he was suspected in Jenkins' disappearance until we asked on Tuesday while she was still missing.
Court documents show Bell is on the sex offender registry for raping a woman in 2010. In that case, a judge sentenced him to five years in prison with four years suspended. Documents reveal he has had other run-ins with the law too, including a police chase and parole violations.
Wednesday, News 3 asked Chesapeake police why the sex offender status was not included in the initial CODI Alert. Chesapeake police pointed us to Virginia State Police who responded:
"The goal of any alert is to get out identifying information as quickly as possible to aid in the search. This includes, but is not limited to, physical descriptors, clothes, location, and the time last seen," explained Matthew Demlein, Interim Public Relations Director for Virginia State Police.
We also asked why the agencies chose to issue a CODI Alert over an AMBER Alert, despite Bell's suspected connection to her disappearance.
"At the time she was reported missing she best fit the criteria for the CODI Alert," said Leo Kosinski, Master Police Officer and public information officer for Chesapeake Police Department.
Kosinski added that at the time the missing person report was made, police were told Abby knew Bell and went with him willingly. Police said whether she was under duress or not, it did not readily appear to be a physical abduction, which is a requirement for an AMBER Alert. The CODI Alert was therefore a better option, according to police, to get information out quickly.
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Jenkins' family told us Tuesday they wish more was done to alert the public about her disappearance.
"Not only I, but the entire family is extremely angry about the fact that a text message did not go out to alert because many people we have spoken to do not have access to the news," said the teen's biological older sister Veronica Ferris.
So News 3 asked police why residents were not notified by phone or sign.
"The requesting agency did not want phone notifications. Per the Federal Highway Administration, highway signs can only be utilized for AMBER Alerts," explained Demlein.
We caught up with the teen's sister again on Wednesday, after Jenkins was located.
"We are relieved that she is safe," said Ferris. "We just want to thank everybody that had any part in that, in keeping her safe and finding her. We are just overwhelmingly thankful."
The whole ordeal's been frustrating and scary for Ferris.
"My sister should never have been put in the situation she was to begin with," said Ferris.
She hopes her sister is now safe.
"I believe she's in a safe place right now, just from what I understand. I understand that she's in custody of Child Protective Services at the moment," said Ferris.
Though she said she's worried about the teen's mental state after seeing the social media video.
News 3 reached out to CPS to learn more about what happens next in situations like these, but they couldn't answer any questions.
In the meantime, Ferris says CPS and the family are looking for a safe place for the teen. She said some medical, housing and legal barriers have made it tough. That was part of the reason Abby was staying with the guardian at the time she went missing.
"[At the time] it was better to leave her in the home she was established in than try to take her out on the streets with [a family member] and we all regret that decision," said Ferris. "I know there's a lot of media following right now about why are we not taking her, why was she in the situation to begin with, that all of this sounds fishy. We had no knowledge that this is the situation that Abby would be put in. We had no knowledge of Mr. Bell's involvement in Abby's life."
Ferris hasn't been able to talk to Abby yet, but has this to say:
"Abby if you're seeing this, I love you. If I could, I would do so much more for you. I would have done more from the very beginning," said Ferris.
Chesapeake police said the guardian who Abby accused of abuse isn't facing any charges related to the case at this time.
Police said Bell is wanted on charges related to the incident. They won't release information on those charges until an arrest is made.
