The search for a missing Redmond High School (RHS) student continues as more investigators, including a Seattle Police Department detective, have been assigned to the case.
Jamie Stevens, a 15-year-old sophomore at RHS, stormed out of her parents’ home in unincorporated King County near the Woodinivlle-Redmond border Sept. 21 and has not returned.
The parents have been working with a detective at the King County Sheriff’s Office and the leads they have obtained have Jamie’s mother, Judy Stevens, fearing the worst scenarios, possibly involving drugs or prostitution. Another county detective from the Major Crimes Unit has joined the search for Jamie.
In addition, the case has also been assigned to a Seattle Police Department detective who works on the FBI’s Innocence Lost task force, Judy said. According to the FBI Web site, the Innocence Lost task force was created in 2003 to address “the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States.”
“It’s pretty ugly,” Judy said. “It’s an odd mess. It’s quite frightening.”
Jamie has been reportedly seen in Seattle, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish and Everett, according to Sgt. John Urquhart, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
“No one really knows where she is,” Urquhart said.
Jamie is listed as an “Endangered Runaway” on the Web site of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In addition, Jamie’s missing person poster is up at all law enforcement agencies around the state, according to Judy.
“I know for sure, she hasn’t contacted anyone since September 30, although she was seen October 6th in the Belltown neighborhood (of Seattle),” she said. “She’s either held up against her will or she’s not going out on purpose. I think she is with someone.”
Judy said Jamie met what she called “a boyfriend” on mySpace in mid August. Jamie told friends her new boyfriend was “a pimp,” according to Judy, who said the man’s mySpace introduction page, which does not require a password, is filled with profanity and illegal drug references.
“He called himself a professional boyfriend,” Judy said, adding that his mySpace introduction page has been changed with the profanity and drug references now deleted.
Judy would not divulge the man name, but said that detectives have talked to him on the phone and plan to track him down and talk to him face to face.
Judy said she plans to hire an attorney, who Judy hopes will help with the legalities of getting Jamie’s password for her mySpace and Windows Live e-mail accounts. The problem is, Judy said, mySpace and Microsoft will not release her passwords or contents of any messages to law enforcement without a court order and a King County judge won’t sign a court order unless there is “physical evidence of foul play.” Judy said, at this time, sheriff detectives do not have enough evidence to get a court order to get Jamie’s passwords.
“We need to get her passwords,” Judy said. “There may be nothing there, but we need to make sure. I just don’t know what to think anymore. This is frustrating and I am very worried.”
If you have seen Jamie, call Judy at (425) 260-7054 or (425) 895-8566 or call Judy’s husband Jim at (206) 491-6858.
