Wendi Jackson, the mother of 12-year-old Adriaunna Horton who has been missing since Monday evening, has come to Golden City to help search for her daughter.
"I just want my baby back in my arms," said the Overland Park woman.
James Horton, the father, said his daughter came home from her first day of school in a great mood Monday and then headed to a park a half-block from her home in the afternoon with her sisters, where they were joined by friends.
James said he is certain his daughter would not have run away, and is asking anyone in the community with information to contact the Barton County Sheriff's Department.
"Everyone in the community has been very supportive, the school has been great," he said, noting that even teachers joined in the search last night.
The Barton County Sheriff's Office said Adriaunna Horton was last seen getting into a vehicle there about 5 p.m. Monday. The vehicle was stopped about 6:30 p.m. and a suspect was taken into custody but the girl was not with him.
Searchers are using horses, all-terrain vehicles, dogs and a patrol helicopter to search around the small town.
Horton is described as 4-feet-5-inches tall and weighing 70 pounds. She has short brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.
More than 400 trained law enforcement officers, volunteers and others searched Golden City Monday night and early today for a young girl who went missing Monday evening. The search is still continuing.
According to the Barton County Sheriff’s Department, 12-year-old Adriaunna Horton of Golden City was playing in the park with friends, who noticed she had gone missing and notified her father, who called 911.
Witnesses also said Horton was observed getting into a vehicle at approximately 5 p.m. Monday. The driver and vehicle were located about 6:30 p.m. The vehicle has been impounded and the man that the Barton County Sheriff’s Department said was a “suspect” is being detained.
“Everyone in the community is working really hard trying to find her,” Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said this morning. “This is a very family-oriented community.”
