SYRACUSE, Ind. — (UPDATE: Aaliyah was found safe in Florida on Aug. 27, police tell 13News.)
Family of a 14-year-old Indiana girl who went missing last month are sharing their story with a national audience in hopes of bringing her home.
"I just want my daughter back home. I want her found safe," Anthony Ramirez told Dateline NBC.
His daughter, Aaliyah, was last seen as she headed to her bus stop on April 27. She never made it to school and hasn't been home.
Three days later, a Silver Alert was issued for the Syracuse, Ind. teenager.
Anthony told Dateline the day before his daughter's disappearance was "a totally normal day." The next afternoon, he got the call that Aaliyah wasn't in school.
Some theorized the girl ran away from home, but Anthony believes someone has taken his daughter.
“As a father, I just knew something was wrong,” he said. “She’s in trouble and we need to get her home safe.”
Aaliyah's mother, Ashli Aspy, who lives in Hartford City, also told Dateline she had a good day with her daughter the last time they were together, the Sunday before she disappeared.
Police in Syracuse believe Aaliyah went to Marion, Ind., or possibly Palm Beach, Fla., where she has a relative. Aspy said there have been some accusations among what she described as a "complicated" family dynamic.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office told NBC affiliate WPTV that deputies went to home of Aaliyah's relative, but the girl wasn't there.
Family, friends and those in the Syracuse community have spread the word on social media, hoping to find clues to Aaliyah's whereabouts, including the hashtag "#FindAaliyahRamirez," which has trended on several popular social networks.
“We need to focus on finding Aaliyah and bringing her home safe. Then we can deal with those responsible. But I just need her to be found," Anthony Ramirez told Dateline.
If you have any information on Aaliyah’s whereabouts, contact the Syracuse Police Department at 574-267-5667.
