[UPDATE 1:09 p.m.: Located] Runaway Feared to Be With Adult Male
Alicia Launius, a 15-year-old girl from McKinleyville, left her home on foot Saturday night and never returned, according to her mother Meredith Schatz. Schatz described contacting Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office immediately, deputies patrolling the area her daughter is known to frequent, and not finding anything that evening.
On Saturday, Schatz said her daughter had been caught with a “burner phone” which she confiscated. That phone allowed Alicia access to the social media that her mother prohibited her from using. Alicia’s ill-will about the phone confiscation seemed to fade, the family went on a fishing trip, but upon return, Alicia began to “pack a bag”. Schatz inquired about her daughter’s plans, made it clear her daughter was not going anywhere, and Alicia then proceeded to leave the home on foot leaving phone and wallet behind.
Schatz’s boyfriend followed Alicia to the intersection of Killdeer Road and Mckinleyville Avenue. About 20 minutes after losing sight of Alicia, a resident of McKinleyville witnessed Alicia “pop out of the woods on Silverado Street and book it up Barnett towards the airport”.
After combing through the content of the burner phone, Schatz is concerned that her daughter might be meeting up with a male older than 18 years of age with a vehicle. Alicia’s close friends have been contacted and claim to have no knowledge of her current whereabouts, said Swartz.
Today, Schatz plans on contacting HCSO to get an update on their search for her daughter and walking around McKinleyville on foot searching for any signs of her daughter. We reached out to HCSO and have not received a response as of the time of this publication.
Alicia Launius is 5’3’’ and weighs 130 lbs. She has brown hair and eyes and was last seen wearing black workout leggings with mesh strip down the outside of the leg, Tan UGG Style boots, and a black hoodie with red script, possibly a McKinleyville High School logo.
Anyone who knows of Alicia’s whereabouts is encouraged to come forward. Contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 if you have any information.
UPDATE 1:09 p.m.: Someone reading the article notified family and law enforcement. She is no longer being sought and is currently in police custody.
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Don’t allow your children to hang out with creeps older then 18. Is this not kidnapping or stat. rape? Guys should be charged. He’s lucky she’s not my daughter or the law would be the least of his fears! Hope she is found and the creep arrested.
You misspelled, I am glad she was found ok.
No social media huh? Poor kid. No wonder she took off.
It did not say “no” social media.
It certainly reads that way from where I’m sitting!!! “That phone allowed Alicia access to the social media that her mother prohibited her from using.”
Most likely social media such as Meet me, which is the worst of the worst for child predators.
Too much restrictions causes rebellion!
Well… like mother like daughter. If I had those parents, I would run away too.
Just saying, [edit] Social media is what caused this problem!
??You being here makes you be on social media so what exactly are you trying to say????
Sorry fishwife, this is caused by a lack of discipline. Open hand, meet ass cheeks. It’s called a spanking. Do it enough and they stop acting in a way that reflects poorly on the parents.
yep, agreed hoj. my dad would have had his foot up my ass if i pulled a stunt like this. maybe the kid needs a job? idle hands
You have no idea about the whole situation and probably what has lead her to not allowing her daughter in social media. Just from reading about this situation this probably isn’t that mother’s first rodeo with her daughter doing stuff like that. This parent clearly isn’t just trying to be controlling. What you said was just downright wrong and unnecessary. If I were in that mothers place right now reading something like that, I would feel even more horrible for trying to make sure my kid stays safe from creeps. If I were you I would just keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself because clearly you lack empathy for the situation and what that mother and her family is going through.
Thank you to everyone who participated in getting this information out and who helped us find Alicia. What matters most is that she is safe. It doesnt matter that people who have never walked a mile in my shoes want to make cowardly comments and not leave their name. There are years of history and a whole backstory that factor in to every parenting decision I make with Alicias best interest at heart. Social Media is 100% a problem for her and a lot of other teens. I will never unsee some of the videos and photos and conversations I found on her social media accounts of not only my daughter but many of yours as well I am sure. I would encourage everyone to please have some respect regardless of how you feel about me or what your judgments are regarding a situation you either know nothing about or you do know and are just the worlds biggest asshole….
As a mother of a teenager myself, you have my support 100% ! Don’t let these people who reply to this article get to you…. they don’t know the whole story and have no idea what parents go through just trying to convey their love and protection. Dammed if you do or don’t huh. ??? Keep caring, and never give up on being there to love and protect your child….. you are doing your best as her mother and this too shall pass for all involved. Things will change soon and you will be thanked one day. Blessings to your family and be well mama!!!! ?
You are absolutely right. I have a very responsible 14 year old with straight A’s. I thought I had no issues, then I saw her phone. Boy was I wrong, my sweet little girl was not so sweet on the phone. She had a bunch of horrible conversations, nothing but insults about me and pictures I would love to have never seen from and to people, some of whom I did not even know. It is scary to know what your kid can do when left alone with social media and a camera.
Were you perfectly sweet when you were 14? Never flirted (or more) with a guy/girl/etc? Did you only say nice things about your parents?
And now I know that everything I thought about you was correct. If that makes me the world’s biggest asshole, so be it…
Meredith, keep loving your daughter. I get it. I don’t have a daughter. I raised 2 boys. However, I married into 2 more children so have a stepson and stepdaughter. Marrying into a 16 year old stepdaughter turned out to be the hardest thing I ever did. I was cussed out, threatened and treated horribly by both my stepdaughter 16 and her 19 year old boyfriend (who threatened even more). All I could do is set the boyfriend rules with help from her mom and continue to show her love. It was not until several years later, after she became a married adult that the love I was able to show her paid off. We have an amazing relationship now and she is a wonderful young woman. Keep on keeping on.
As for the foul comments made, ignore them. There is no perfect parent, only a dedicated parent. These commentators are definitely far from perfect so should be ashamed.
Let’s be clear here, Matt LaFever and Kym. The article says “Someone reading the article notified family and law enforcement”. Which article? Was it THIS, the RHBB article? Were there others?
Let’s give credit where it is due to our local, community-based, caring media.
I think people take it for granted the powerful and needed resource this site and other media (like the valuable KMUD news) is to us as a healthy and connected community.
And, in these unstable, economically-challenging times, it’s all the more important to DONATE to support them!
So. Take some of that COVID-19 relief check money from the government and SHARE IT with RHBB, the Mateel, KMUD, RRHC, food banks, forest defenders, schools, and other organizations that YOU think are VITAL to us!
Agree 100% about sharing relief money especially those of us receiving a paycheck.
??BRAVO. ?????????
If you don’t have a teenager right now then please shut it. You have no idea.
You are showing us an example of choosing information from an article that backs your stance.
If you know about teens these days having a burner phone is a big red flag. The article states its the type of social media her mom was worried about not all social media.
From a different perspective it reads that daughter was using burner phone to be in touch with older boy who she knew mom didnt want her seeing.
So if mom didnt monitor her and she ran off with this guy my guess is you all would be the same people blaming the mom for not having restrictions on her daughters social media.
Maybe worry about your own world instead of judging those whose situations you have never experienced, spend some time stepping back and viewing the world from different perspectives.
There are a whole bunch of them available to us all.
Yes! This!!! ^^^
TRUTH!!! Absolutely correct about all of that, and this mom sounds like she knows better than anyone to judge this .
Absolutely
YES, I agree 100%
“Schatz said her daughter had been caught with a “burner phone” which she confiscated. That phone allowed Alicia access to the social media that her mother prohibited her from using.” … And you act surprised when she leaves?
If you’re being such a controlling parent that your child goes through the work of getting a burner phone, you need to seriously re-think what kind of relationship you want to have with your children, and whether you want them to ever visit you after they finally leave for good.
“If you’re being such a controlling parent that your child goes through the work of getting a burner phone, you need to seriously re-think what kind of relationship you want to have with your children, and whether you want them to ever visit you after they finally leave for good.”
This girl is 15!
This story is a cogent illustration of how adolescent brains don’t act rationally or in their own best interests. They are impulsive and reckless…and it hurts everyone, them most of all. And—by the way—many teenagers hardly need legitimate reasons to be terrible and selfish.
The fact that you think this child’s deceptive purchase of a burner phone is evidence of her *parents’ wrongdoing* makes me wonder just how old you are. No fifteen-year-old girl should have a cell phone…
Hoping these poor parents find their child before she ruins her life.
Thank you, DQ, for a voice of reason. This young lady could have been on restriction from the last time she did something stupid because of social media connections. I’m sure her mother was trying to keep her from contacting internet trolls who pretend to be teenagers so they can prey on young girls who are being reckless and impulsive. At fifteen, too many children do not grasp the consequences of their actions.
Don’t judge someone until you know the whole story.
Thanks DQ! A voice of clarity, reason and smarts.
Old enough that I remember that when I was 15, all my parent wanted to know was whether they’d need to have dinner for me or not that night. She’s 15, not 6.
You don’t sound like a real parent to me! If a parent at all. There are more helpful, positive and constructive ways you can contribute with your intentions rather than bash and judge. You sound very immature and It Sounds more like you are a teenager yourself. RESPECT, it goes both ways and a long ways! Grow up and hopefully you will be a great parent one day. Also, just putting it out there to anyone…. the Big Brothers And Sisters club is pretty cool! There’s a fit for everyone! They truly become family a lot of the time and can help bridge the gap between parents and kids of all ages and backgrounds. Life will never be perfect but striving for her and his or “they” outcome is our goal!!!!! Be nice to each other. Some of these comments are really shitty!!!!! Ugh
Alas, it has a been a very long time since I was a teenager. But not long enough that I don’t remember that teens were expected to be mostly independent, and this whole constant control thing is a new and absurd development. When I was 15, you were expected to be able to keep yourself safe, make money, take care of kids, run errands, have your own friends, safely use a firearm, be learning a trade or skill, and possibly be thinking about starting a family. And I don’t think that teens these days are growing up any slower.
In ways they are growing up slower, Bushytails… they take ’til they’re at least in their 40s ’til they seem to overcome the trauma of coming of age. You know, sometimes we don’t agree on here, but i am absolutely with you on this one. Go even further back… in the 1800s, some of our most hard-working, together, functional pioneer women were married and having children at age 15. These were not stupid low-lifes. They were people who’d been taught from the beginning to be responsible, honest, kind, fair, and to work with dedication and always do their best. Nothing in that formula changed when they grew out of their parents’ control… no transitional crisis in becoming an adult. Fairly simple messages, but somehow often lost nowadays.
No fifteen-year-old girl should have a cell phone… Most children these days are a LOT younger than 15 & have Cell Phones!!! It isn’t the phone itself that is the problem, it’s what is done with said phone that is the issue!!!
Actually, most kids should have a cell phone. No need for a smartphone but an “old fashion” flip phone…something like a Jitterbug for kids. I think that Disney tried something like this years ago. Around 10 years ago, I was on a road trip with my kids when they saw a payphone at a rest area. They were doing a kid version of tripping on it…taking pictures and even wanting to make a call. My point is that kids should be able to contact their parents and vice versa whenever necessary.
Like you stated, it’s what’s done with the phone that is the problem.
When someone is “found” particularly a juvenile, either commenting should end or the entire article removed.
Please consider making a policy change Kym.
I half agree. I don’t think the article should be removed; facts are facts, history is history, and if we start choosing which stories remain and which we want to make disappear, we will have an incomplete and biased picture.
However, i think you have a good idea about stopping the commenting. Maybe even deleting the entire comment history. All this speculation, the side threads, judgment, etc., does NOT need to endure, especially in the case of someone innocent and upset who really doesn’t need the peanut gallery dissecting their life.
True.
Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!
Every ones a predator,
The world is a scarey place. All teens should self quarantine at home 24-7, some one is always out to kidnap them, lions and tigers and bears oh my!
I stand by my statement. What kid isn’t on social media, are they luddites or something? The article sounds like mom wouldn’t allow her to use social media at all and moms response further supports that assumption. If you don’t allow your children the freedom to learn from mistakes they will resent your overbearing authority. They may even run away. That being said, I am relieved she’s found safe.
Here’s a recipe to reduce the chances of a teenage girl leaving home early;
1) respect her privacy (so she doesn’t NEED to get a burner phone)
2) respect her right to self determination (so that she feels known instead of oppressed)
3) respect her autonomy (trust has to go both ways.. she cannot be treated as a “problem”)
4) make sure she has GENUINE info about the creeps who could try to take advantage (NOT boogieman stories that she will mistrust and discount)
Voice of experience here. Although I had the best possible of all parents, I still had to take off because I felt my privacy was not being respected. Protectiveness is intended to create safety, but often it can stimulate amazing evasiveness skills. If a teenager is treated as if she is still a child, it can result in explosive resentment. Better to have a partnership of trust with your teenager. If the oppositional dynamic prevails, all sides will suffer.
…and by the way, ‘spanking’ is ABUSE. it can result in lifelong sexual problems and self esteem problems.
It’s too bad there isn’t a Teen Phone Network. Such a network should be restricted to use by teenagers using their teen phones. Market it under, No grownups allowed.