Police are searching for a Denton girl whose family reported they last saw her at Cracker Barrel on Friday. Contrary to some speculation on social media, police do not believe she was not kidnapped or trafficked.
Katy Throneberry last seen at Cracker Barrel, at 4008 N. Interstate 35, around noon Friday. That day, family and friends posted on a local Facebook group inquiring about her whereabouts, and posts were shared throughout the weekend on other social platforms.
Police spokesperson Allison Beckwith said the Denton Police Department received inquiries about the girl, with some thinking she might have been kidnapped.
Beckwith confirmed that it is suspected the girl ran away on her own free will. Video footage shows her getting into a vehicle with an unknown male, likely of her own volition. Beckwith said the 16-year-old made statements about running away before she left.
While it is believed there was no foul play involved, police are still investigating the girl as a runaway. She is not considered a missing person, Beckwith said.
Denton police did not initially post about Throneberry’s disappearance, with Beckwith stating a parent or guardian would need to request for the department to post anything about the case as she is a minor and is expected to have left willingly.
Throneberry’s legal guardian later requested they do so and the department posted about her disappearance Monday afternoon.
The girl’s family and friends reported that she is 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing knee-length blue jean shorts, a brown Nintendo shirt and glasses, although she does not always wear her glasses. They reported she was seen leaving with the male in her 1998 powder blue Ford Crown Victoria.
Denton police reported that Dallas police located the vehicle unoccupied in downtown Dallas on Saturday.
Anyone with information regarding Throneberry’s whereabouts can call 940-349-8470.
Beckwith said Monday morning that she did not know whether the male accompanying Throneberry was an adult or a minor. She was not sure at the time if harboring a runaway, a Class A misdemeanor offense, would be an applicable charge to this case.
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BROOKE COLOMBO can be reached at 940-566-6882 and via Twitter at @brookecolombo.
Public safety reporter
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