DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Investigators with the Denver Police Department announced Monday that while they do not know where a missing teenager from Douglas County is, they believe she is voluntarily refusing to go home.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) said Whitney Lulloff, 16, was spotted at the Denver International Airport on Jan. 4 after returning from Phoenix. But she never met with her family.
A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department said surveillance video shows Whitney arrived at Denver International Airport that day and then took the light rail to the 61st and Pena stop.
"She ended up walking east on 61st. During this whole time, she’s by herself. From there we’re still trying to figure out where she went and who she could be with at this point," said Denver Police Department Public Information Officer Jay Casillas.
Lulloff's mother, Karen Kopp, said in a previous interview with Denver7 that she "will do anything... to get her back." She said she believes her daughter is with another person.
"Somebody else is involved that we don’t know and that none of her friends know. That leads me to believe that, maybe, she met someone online — that there’s a predator of some sort," Kopp said.
On Monday, DPD investigators said they believe that Lulloff is "voluntarily refusing to return home."
The DPD is continuing to work to gather more information in order to find her and ensure she is safe.
Anybody with information on her whereabouts is asked to call DPD investigators at 720-913-6653 or DCSO Det. Kristen Tinsley at 303-784-7810.