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Riley Crossman is a reliable teenager, according to her mother Chantel Oakley. So when Chantel did not feel well last Tuesday and decided to nap before spending the evening at work, she knew she could count on Riley to wake her up from school.
"And when she came home, she woke me up. She said, "It's 3:30 pm, it's time to get up," and I replied, "Thanks, baby," Chantel told Dateline. Riley said, "No problem. "She was acting normally, she went to her room and I got ready for work.
After Chantel got to work, Riley's 15-year-old party continued as usual. Her maternal grandmother was at home until about 7:00 pm, said Chantel, and Riley stayed at her home in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, all night long.
"I came home from work around 22:00. Her door was closed, so she was in her room, but I did not see her, "Chantel told Dateline.
Riley's boyfriend will later tell his family that he was in video chat with her until around 10:30 pm Another friend said that she was texting Riley until almost midnight. According to the family, the phone records show that Riley's phone was idle until about 5:40 am, when she tried to call her boyfriend by video. Her boyfriend, who was sleeping at that time, missed the call.
When Chantel woke up shortly after 7:15, Riley was no longer in her room. But, as a close friend of the family, Kelly Waugh, tells Dateline, it's "not incredibly abnormal."
"Riley goes through the school to go to the streets," Kelly told Dateline. "And his school starts at 7:45, so it's normal to leave at 7:15 to take the time to socialize. And his boyfriend was going on an excursion that day. It was not abnormal that she had gone earlier to say hello to him before he left for the excursion. "
The day passed without red flags. But when Riley's maternal grandmother told Chantel that Riley had not arrived home after school, she started sending a message to her daughter to find out where she was.
"At 3:30 pm, I sent him a message and said," Where are you from? "I waited a second and the message was not delivered," Chantel told Dateline. She then called Riley's mobile phone; he went to voicemail. A second text has not been delivered as well.
Chantel thought Riley might have been doing the dance after school and forgot to mention it. She asked her mother to cross the road to Berkeley Springs High School to see if Riley was there.
Riley was not at school. Chantel told Dateline that she had left her job around 17:00. and drove to school to search for Riley. When she parked, Riley's boyfriend was in the parking lot and had just returned from the field trip.
"He had not talked to her all day since she was out on the field," Chantel said. After checking a few more areas of the school, Chantel went home to see if Riley had arrived at that time. I went up to the room and she was not there. I was crazy and scared because at that time no one had heard from him. Then I received a call from the school saying that she had been marked as absent.
Upon hearing that Riley had not gone to school, Chantel said that she had immediately called 911 to report her daughter's disappearance. After calling 911, Chantel called Riley's father, Lance Crossman, who lives about 25 minutes away.
"I was at work – we had a awards banquet," Lance told Dateline. It was a bit of a fancy affair. So, when Chantel called, I ignored the first call – not because I was rude, but I told myself that I would call her after the banquet. But she called again immediately and she never does, "said Lance. "Then I apologized and I took the call. The first thing she said was, "Riley is missing." I automatically took my car and went to Berkeley Springs. "
Lance told Dateline that he had tried to stay calm while he was driving in the small town.
"At that time, I thought I was going to the park and find it," he said. "But the calls and texting did not happen. I sent him a message saying, "Riley, I do not know what's going on, but the police have been called and the situation is getting serious. You must call me now.
Lance said he asked the teenagers in town if they had seen Riley. One person said to have seen a walk nearby, but the family said that the sighting had not been verified. Meanwhile, members of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office arrived at Chantel's home and began their investigation.
"It was frenetic after that. From there, until now, it's just uninterrupted, "Lance told Dateline. "We organized several volunteer searches. There are so many areas that we covered during ground searches. It's the worst thing that ever happened to us. None of us sleep or eat very well, "he continued. "We have a good support system and community support. But it's horrible.
None of Riley's accounts have been active since Wednesday morning, May 8, when she tried to contact her boyfriend via Facebook Messenger. It is unclear whether the police were able to locate Riley's phone when she sent these messages. Kelly, a friend of Riley's family, told Dateline that an Amber Alert had not been issued because the authorities "did not know if it was a kidnapping and had no track on a vehicle".
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office did not respond to Dateline's request for comment by Monday night.
Riley's parents said her boyfriend and family helped locate Riley "from day one, from 7 am to midnight."
"He's a very good kid. Riley has lifted her notes since she was with him, "Lance told Dateline. "He's rather torn by that. I know it's the first place people look for suspects, but that's not the case here. "
Chantel, Riley's mother, told Dateline that Riley had not yet obtained her learner's license and did not have access to a car. She insists that her daughter did not run away.
"That's why I would immediately start checking things out because she would not run away," said Chantel. "She loves us, she would not want us to be angry."
Riley's father, Lance, agreed, telling Dateline: "She would not run away as if nothing had happened. She has never hurt anyone in her life. She is very soft. "
Riley's family is concerned that her teenage daughter has been abducted.
"No matter where you live – California, Texas, Canada – please, look for it," Lance said. "We fear that she is very far at this point. It could be anywhere in the United States or on the mainland. We simply do not know. Please, take a second to take care of it. This is our baby. "
On Mother's Day, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office was posted to let her know that her thoughts are with Riley's family.
"Please keep a prayer today in your hearts for Riley Crossman and his family," he added.
According to a press release issued Monday, the FBI, West Virginia State Police and many other agencies have joined Riley's search.
"The investigation to find Riley Crossman is on its sixth day. The police have made every effort to make it disappear, "he said. "The investigation and investigation continued uninterrupted and the police recorded hundreds of hours of work."
The press release also indicates that the police are planning a "large coordinated search" for Wednesday, May 15. Volunteers are requested to meet near the Emergency Services Office at 9:00 am in the former War Memorial parking lot. Riley High School also asked students to support research efforts.
"Riley is one of us," reads a Facebook account from the school account. "Please, wear the blue and gold colors on Monday to show the support of the BSHS community in its efforts to bring her home safely."
Riley Crossman is described as being 5 feet 6 inches and weighing 125 pounds. blue-eyed and fair-haired. Riley's family urges the public to also look for girls of all colors, as they think Riley may have been abducted and forced to change her appearance. If you have any information about the circumstances surrounding Riley's disappearance, please contact the Morgan County Sheriff's Office at 304-258-1067.
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