Update as of August 10 at 9:09 a.m.:
Norfolk police say Gabby Todman was found safe the morning of Thursday, August 10. They classified the incident as a runaway investigation.
In our Have You Seen Me series, we cover missing persons cases, especially those that don't traditionally get a lot of attention. News 3 anchor Jessica Larché's special reports shine a light on the issue, and as she's reported, just because a child ran away, it does not mean they are not in danger.
Original article:
Some text messages are now part of an investigation that involves a 15-year-old from Norfolk reported missing more than two weeks ago.
Have You Seen Me
Norfolk police find missing teen last seen on Glen Myrtle Ave.
Norfolk police are still looking for Gabriella (Gabby) Todman. She was last seen on July 23 in the 8600 block of Myrtle Avenue. She was reported missing the next day.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot held a press conference about the case.
Talbot said the investigation took a "concerning" turn on Aug. 3, when Gabby's mother said she got texts and social media messages she believed were from her daughter.
Those messages were not actually from Gabby, Talbot said.
"We don't necessarily think that the person sending the messages meant any harm," Talbot said during the press conference. "We've gone a long way toward finding out more about those messages...."
Talbot did not go into any other details about the context of the text messages.
Gabby has gone missing before, Talbot said, though it's usually for a much short period of time. Talbot said the text messages are what sparked a different thought about what might be happening with Gabby.
Talbot said there is no reason to believe this is the same as Gabby has done on previous occasions.
"We're concerned for her safety," Talbot said.
Additionally, Talbot said information from the public has increased the urgency to find Gabby.
Gabriella is about 5'5" and weighs about 135 pounds, according to police. She has brown eyes and curly brown hair.
Investigators have been knocking on doors and talking to neighbors and Gabby's mom as part of the investigation.
"The time period itself enough to say something different seems to be happening," the chief said.
Chief Talbot said "We're not ruling anything out" when it comes to an abduction.
"We have no evidence that would indicate she was abducted," Talbot said. "We have no suspects that we've been able to identify."
Anyone who has information about Gabby's location should call 911.
