DENVER — Investigators said they believe a 17-year-old girl is being held against her will by her father, who was recently seen in the Denver area, according to a release from authorities in Tennessee.
A Grand Jury indicted John Oliver Westbrook with aggravated kidnapping related to the 2019 disappearance of his daughter Daphne.
She and her two dogs, Fern and Strawberry, disappeared from Chattanooga, Tennessee after failing to return home from a weekend visit with her dad, according to the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office.
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They believe Daphne is being held against her will and is unable to communicate with the outside world. Their investigation shows she is endangered both physically and mentally but did not provide details about why that's the case.
In November 2020, Daphne was seen in the Denver area, and just last month, John Westbrook spent several weeks in the Pueblo, Colorado area, according to authorities.
Last month, Daphne’s Bible was found in a trash can outside Trader Joe’s on West Cordova Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
John Westbrook is an IT expert specializing in security, block chain technology and bitcoin, and he is communicating in a way that’s almost "impossible to trace", according to authorities.
They believe he is earning money contracting with small businesses to do computer security work and may "occasionally" take Daphne to ride horses, so authorities are asking the horsing community to be especially alert.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Santa Fe District Attorney's office are working with authorities in Tennessee on the case.
If you’ve seen Daphne, her father or her dogs please immediately contact either of the following agencies:
Hamilton County, TN DA’s Office: 1-423-209-7415
- DAPHNE TIPS email: FindingDaphne@hcdatn.org
- 1st Judicial DA’s Office Santa Fe: 1-505-428-6926
- CID TIPS email: 1stdainvestigations@da.state.nm.us
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