Mother searching for missing teen

WASILLA — A mother is asking for help in locating her 15-year-old daughter, who’s been missing since June 18.

Diana Straub said her daughter, Darcy, left the family home through her bedroom window because she was angry that she wasn’t allowed to spend the night at a friend’s house, Straub said.

“I have not seen or heard from her since,” she said. “I have not said anything because I thought she was just being a rebellious teenager spending the night with a couple of friends and would return in a few days.”

A report has been filed with the Wasilla Police Department, Diana Straub said, adding that her daughter can pass for older than her 15 years.

“She’s very tall and she presents herself as a much older lady,” she said. “She easily appears 17 or 18 years old. My fears are she’s running around with an older group of people [engaged in] social activities different than any mother would want for her 15-year-old daughter.”

She believes Darcy is still in the area. Last Tuesday, Darcy lured her older brother out of the house with a promise to meet up so she could collect her clothes, her mother said. On Sunday, she sent an e-mail to her aunt.

“I know she sent an e-mail to my sister-in-law,” she said. “She said she’s still mad at us; she’s never coming home.”

Because Darcy has had several friends take their own lives in the past year, Straub is worried about her daughter’s state of mind. She believes her daughter had help leaving the house. The reason she believes the teen is still in the Valley, “is that mom’s intuition, I think.”

Darcy Straub is 5 feet 9 inches tall, fit, weighs about 160 pounds and has dark hazel eyes. She has long hair that’s blond on top fading to dark.

The family has also checked Darcy’s cell phone account, and there hasn’t been any activity on it, Diana Straub said. Although it’s not uncommon for teens to run away from home, it isn’t typical for Darcy.

“That’s very unlike her,” her mother said, adding the family has checked with all her known friends and acquaintances.

Diana said she brought her plight to the public in hopes that Darcy may be staying with friends whose parents are unaware she’s a runaway.

“If a kid is spending several days at their house, you should probably check in with their parent,” she said.

If a runaway is staying with another family, that family may be violating the law, said Officer Rick Manrique of the Wasilla Police Department.

“One thing that comes to mind is that knowingly harboring a runaway is a misdemeanor crime, it’s a chargeable offense,” he said. “Obviously, we charge very few people criminally with that because … it’s very difficult to prove.”

Manrique advises that any time a child is staying at another’s home, the parents do some double-checking.

“Any time a child is staying at your home, get a number and make contact with the parent,” he said.

Manrique also sympathizes with Diana Straub’s initial reaction that her daughter would return in a few days.

“As a parent, I understand where she’s coming from,” he said. “In my current position, though, I have to say they should report it if [children] don’t come home by the appropriate time.”

He also recommends parents know ahead of time who their children’s friends are and network with their parents. One important piece of information that’s often overlooked is a last name.

“It’s shocking to me now how many people don’t know the last names of the kids their kids are socializing with,” he said.

Anyone with information about Darcy or where she might be is urged to call Straub at 841-7245 or the Wasilla Police Department at 352-5400.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.