UPDATED, 1:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY: The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for a missing girl they believe ran away from home last week, and detectives are becoming more concerned she may be in danger.
Valentina LaCava, 13, was reported missing about 1 a.m. Friday from the 5500 block of Watson Road, east of Greenwood. She was last seen getting into a car at a nearby intersection, and has not been seen or heard from since, said Joe Schmidt, the lead detective on the case.
The sheriff’s office reached out to Indiana State Police on Wednesday for help with the case, and they are continuing to monitor social media for any new developments that might lead them to her.
A statewide alert has not gone out yet, but sheriff’s detectives were planning to meet with state police Clearinghouse experts on Wednesday to determine if that should happen, Schmidt said.
LaCava is a slender, white female. She is 5-feet 1-inch tall, and weighs about 110 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing dark jeans and a zip-up sweatshirt, possibly a hoodie, and black sneakers, according to a missing persons bulletin.
About 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a Greenwood man reported seeing a young girl matching this description get into an old, dirty, two-door Honda Civic with damage to its front bumper at the intersection of Watson Road and Possum Hollow Road, the same neighborhood the girl was reported missing from, a news release from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators initially believed an arrangement was made for LaCava to be picked up, said Damian Katt, chief of investigations for the sheriff’s office. Now, they’re not so sure, Schmidt said.
Phone records provided no information, Schmidt said.
“Each day that’s gone without anything, of course it becomes more and more concerning, especially considering she was last seen getting into a car with an individual old enough to drive,” he said.
They are not sure who the driver of the car is or whether she knew the person.
LaCava has a history of making similar, poor choices, Katt said Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office has two detectives working the case, following leads, interviewing people who know her or may have come into contact with her, and searching phone records and social media for any information that may lead them to her, he said.
Detectives received one lead, which took them to an old address of someone she was involved with in the past, Schmidt said.
“We’re just hoping somebody can let us know, or let mom and dad know, so we at least know she’s OK,” Katt said late Tuesday.
Anyone with any information about the missing juvenile should contact the Johnson County Dispatch Center at 317-346-6336.
