UPDATE:
Destiny Ayala-Patterson, a missing 16-year-old, was located in Trenton, New Jersey, according to police. The Chesapeake Police Department says they worked with the U.S. Marshal's Service to safely locate Patterson on Monday, May 8.
News 3 spoke exclusively with Destiny's father, who said, "We're just so thankful that she's okay, that she was found, and they confirmed that she wasn't injured."
Full story here
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Court documents are providing new details about a case involving 16-year-old Destiny Ayala-Patterson who, according to the Chesapeake Police Department, was last seen on March 28.
Have You Seen Me
MORE: 'Please come forward:' Chesapeake teen still missing after 20 days
Police said they believe she is in the New York City area or Trenton, New Jersey, area.
Her mother tells News 3 on Friday she is desperately trying to find her daughter and asks anyone with information to please contact the police.
On March 28, court documents show a school resource officer at Indian River High School checked the school security cameras and saw the teen getting into a 2017 Honda in the parking lot.
Authorities interviewed a 23-year-old man, who was the driver of the Honda. He allegedly said he thought she was a senior, according to court records.
He said they hung out at his house in Suffolk for an hour or two. Then, he said he took her to the gate of his apartment complex where a silver car with tinted windows was waiting for her. He said the teen told him friends were coming to pick her up.
Through the investigation, court papers show, police determined that she was on the BLK app, an adult dating app.
Police got a tip that she was seen at the Western Branch Walmart. Law enforcement checked out the store and the area hotels looking for her.
Documents state that the search brought them to the Studios and Suites 4 Less on Gum Road. An employee said that the teen had just checked out a few hours prior.
Police looked at surveillance video that appeared to show the teen at the hotel, according to court documents.
Police went to the Studios for Suites 4 Less on Western Branch Road and spoke to a woman who was seen on video with Destiny at the other hotel.
Records state that the officer advised the woman of Destiny’s age, and “she stated the female in question was an adult and we would not find her.” When the officer tried to get more information the woman said “I’m not going to tell yall anything more, yall just got to do yall job.”
Court documents show the woman was exhibiting nervous behavior and clearly being deceptive during the conversation.
Police classified Destiny as a runaway rather than a missing person. Her family refuted those statements during a press conference in April.
During the press conference, Brandon Randleman, a local civil rights and social justice activist, voiced concerns about the handling of Destiny’s case.
“A tenth-grader managed to walk out the side door of Chesapeake Public Schools. We’re now in day 20, and again, we’re left with more questions than answers,” said Randleman.
Chesapeake detectives previously said Destiny was seen leaving Indian River High School around 1 p.m. on March 28. However, Randleman claims a photo taken from the school’s surveillance camera shows a time stamp, indicating that Destiny left school grounds around 3:10 p.m.
He also took aim at Chesapeake Public Schools, claiming Destiny was missing for her fourth block “with no one questioning her whereabouts.”
Chesapeake Public Schools told News 3 they continue "to assist the police department with this ongoing investigation. We hope for Destiny to be returned home quickly and safely."
The Chesapeake Police Department also responded to our request for comment. Their statement is as follows:
It was originally reported to police that Destiny left school around 1:00 p.m., as stated in our first Press Release. The investigating Officer quickly established that she left the school on March 28th at 3:10 p.m. This information was relayed to the family. The investigating Officer has been in contact with Destiny’s family. She was reported to us as a runaway. A runaway is listed as a juvenile who leaves of their own free will, [whereas] a missing person is defined as someone who leaves under duress. We have not seen any evidence that she left under any duress. This is still an ongoing investigation, and no one has been cleared at this time.
She does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert with Virginia State Police.
Anyone with information on where she might be is asked to call police.
