Oakland police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 12-year-old girl who they believe may be the victim of sexual exploitation.
Laquiea Terry has not been seen since Monday, when she ran away from home, Officer Holly Joshi said Friday. Investigators believe someone might be forcing Laquiea to work as a child prostitute, Joshi said.
Laquiea attends Frick Middle School in Oakland. A schoolmate of Laquiea, an 11-year-old girl who was also reported missing Monday, was found Friday afternoon, police said.
Police believe a man in a silver Dodge Charger asked both girls to get inside his vehicle sometime this week. The 11-year-old refused, but Laquiea got in and hasn't been seen since, police Sgt. Tom Hogenmiller said.
The 11-year-old girl later stayed at someone's house, and that person called the school after seeing media coverage of the missing girls, Hogenmiller said. Police declined to provide more details, saying they were still investigating.
Laquiea is African American, 5-foot-2, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and red and black shoes.
The man driving the Dodge Charger was described as African American, in his early 20s, 5-foot-6, 180 pounds, with a light complexion. He was wearing a black shirt and baggy jeans.
Anyone with information on Laquiea's whereabouts is asked to call Oakland police at (510) 238-3641.
SFGate.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/08/BA8SVG7UC.DTL
