The parents of a Fremont, California, teen who went missing last month are planning to hire a private investigator to help look for the Irvington High School student. The Fremont Police Department said that Katie Hong, 16, was last seen around 6:20 pm on July 25 at her home on Queens Park Court, near Rix Park. Surveillance video later showed her walking through a gas station at the corner of Blacow Road and Grimmer Boulevard, going toward Irvington Community Park.
Where is Katie Hong?
According to police, Hong left behind a note for her family which indicates she may have run away to meet people she knew online. She is believed to have met these people on the chatting app Discord. The note indicated that she only knew these people by their online screen names, and that they refused to share their real names.
Hong’s parents, who are both deaf, said she may believe she disappointed them, but that was not true. "She feels that she has disappointed us. Though we don’t agree. We are not disappointed with her. Yes, she made a mistake. But everyone does," said her father, Sulghi Hong, KTVU reported.
Katie's father has been taking time off from his job at California School for the Deaf in Fremont. Faculty and students at the institution have been searching for Katie, who is hearing. Katie’s phone has not been located.
{{/usCountry}}Katie's father has been taking time off from his job at California School for the Deaf in Fremont. Faculty and students at the institution have been searching for Katie, who is hearing. Katie’s phone has not been located.
{{/usCountry}}"She could be with somebody still, she could be by herself, she could be at a shelter," her uncle, James Han, told KTVU. "We don't know who, we don't know what, we don't know where or what their motive is."
"We just need to hear from her. All we want to do is to hear from her so that we know she's safe,” Han added.
Katie has been described as being 5 feet tall and weighing about 100 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and braces, and was last seen wearing a navy blue zip-up jacket and gray sweatpants. She was also carrying a red Patagonia backpack that may have contained a desktop computer.
GoFundMe launched
A GoFundMe has been set up after Hong went missing. The page says, “Katie is a vibrant, intelligent, and beautiful young woman. Her smile lights up every room, and she has always been mature beyond her years. As the daughter of two deaf parents, Katie has played an essential and selfless role in our family, always helping, always supporting, always loving.”
It adds, “The family is doing everything in their power to find her. The parents are planning to take leaves of absence from work so they can fully devote ourselves to this search. Furthermore, this process of finding Katie requires resources that come at a significant cost. In addition, we are working to find a new school and environment for Katie’s younger sister, who is navigating this traumatic time with incredible strength and courage. We want to provide her with the care and support she needs while we search for Katie.”
The GoFundMe added that the goal is to raise funds for “legal and communication support,” “counseling and school transition for Katie’s sister,” and “daily living expenses while both parents are away from work.” The unused funds will be donated to non-profit organizations that focus on “finding and rescuing missing children.”
At the time of writing this article, $64,789 had been raised, with the goal being $50K.