Missing Humboldt County Teen Left Cryptic Goodbye Note Before Disappearing

Faith Carrick and her pet duck. [All images provided by her family]

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Faith Carrick, a 17-year-old Eureka High student, went missing from her Cutten home in the early morning of Sunday, March 15. Her adopted parents, Marie and Clyde Carrick, and her biological sister have been searching desperately for her since.

On the night of Saturday, March 14, Marie reported her daughter was in good spirits and did not indicate “anything was wrong”. On Sunday morning, Faith’s sister went to check on her and found “Faith had put pillows on her bed to make it look like someone was there” and left a note.

That note read:

Note left by Faith Carrick.

Mom, Dad, and Sarah-

I just need to be on my own. You guys have done so much for me and I thank you. I need to figure things out, and staying here is not helping. I don’t know where I am going yet, but Ill be safe and I will be going alone. Please dont worry about me. Focus on Sarah, listen to here when she needs you and when she doesnt.

I will only be happy when I find my center.

I love you. Dont look for me, I dont want to be found.

-Faith

P.S. Rose will protect me

One particular detail of the note that is unclear is the postscript regarding “Rose”. When Faith’s mother Marie was asked about “Rose”, she had no knowledge of who that could be. “There is only one girl we thought of and we checked that out and so did Humboldt County Sheriff Office.”

Faith Carrick wearing her bright purple hoodie with Dutch Bros and a unicorn on the front.

Marie Carrick, Faith’s mother, described their family home as being located on a quiet, dead-end street in Cutten. One of the neighbors reported they had been woken at 4:30 am up by their alarm system that “pings every time there is someone outside”. Video footage did not have any images of Faith.

After accounting for the items left in Faith’s bedroom, Marie concluded that her daughter “took her purse, her iPod, and her wallet with $35.00 in it”. Also missing was a pair of Eureka High Loggers sweatpants, dark sweatpants, and a bright purple hoodie with Dutch Bros across the front and a colorful unicorn across the front.

Faith’s mother Marie conducted a thorough search of her daughter’s text messages, social media, emails, and notebooks finding no suggestion Faith made arrangements with anyone to run away. Marie insisted that she had spoken with her daughter’s close group of friends and knew that “none of the friends are harboring her.”

Faith’s family was blindsided when they found their daughter missing on Sunday morning. “There were no indications that she was upset or troubled in any way,” Faith’s mother Marie said. Marie characterized her daughter as more of a homebody than anything unable to go to bed unless her pet cat “was in bed with her”. She said,“This is so concerning because it is so out of the ordinary”.

Marie adopted Faith thirteen years ago from a “traumatizing home” and the girl has received counseling to help her “heal from the trauma”. After Faith was found missing, Marie consulted with Faith’s therapist wondering if Faith had expressed intentions to run away and the therapist was “stunned” upon hearing of Faith’s disappearance.

According to Humboldt County Sheriff Office’s Public Information Officer Samantha Kargas, deputies were informed of Faith’s disappearance on Sunday, March 15. Though there are indications Faith ran away, Kargas reported HCSO is treating the circumstance as a missing person case and Faith was entered into the missing person database. Kargas described a sighting of Faith that occurred on Sunday, March 15 on P Street. If a member of the public sees Faith, Kargas encouraged them to please contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

When asked whether the strain on law enforcement caused by the Coronavirus crisis was hindering deputies’ investigation of Faith’s disappearance, Kargas assured that “at this time, things are not strained in this department. All vacation/time-off requests have been denied. We have adequate staffing at this point. It is being investigated thoroughly.”

Faith Carrick is 5’5’’, weighs 175 pounds, has brown hair, hazel eyes, and wears glasses. Faith could be wearing sweatpants and a purple hoodie with “Dutch Bros” and a unicorn insignia.

Anyone who knows of Faith’s whereabouts is encouraged to come forward. Contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 if you have any information.

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Earlier Chapter: 17-Year-Old Missing From the Cutten Area