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14-Year-Old Goes Missing After She Created A Grown-Up OKCupid Profile
Leah Kritzer (Courtesy of Manhattan Beach Police Department)
Leah Kritzer, a 14-year-old from Manhattan Beach, was reported missing after she took her dog for a walk on Sunday—and never returned.
A neighbor found her dog Popeye not far from her home a couple hours after she went for a walk around 4:30 p.m. Her father Joe Kritzer told KTLA, "So [we] went out to see her and there was our dog with the leash on and our daughter wasn’t there and she hasn’t come home since."
Her parents suspect that she might be with someone she met on the dating site OKCupid, according to the Huffington Post. On Tuesday, they called a number that they didn't recognize on her phone and discovered that she had gone a date with a man she met through the site. The man told her parents that Kritzer claimed to be 19 on her profile. When he met her in person, he realized that wasn't the case and called off the date.
Her parents worry that Kritzer might have run off with someone else she met through the site who wasn't put off by her minor status. Her mom Anne Kritzer told the Huffington Post that her daughter's friends saw her shortly before she disappeared: "Her friends saw her walking the dog with somebody who looked to be about 19."
Manhattan Beach Police say this isn't the first time Kritzer has gone missing. In January 2014, she ran away and was later found at a local motel. Police don't suspect she was kidnapped or that there is any evidence of foul play at this point. They describe Kritzer as standing about 5'7," having blue eyes, blonde hair with orange tips and braces on her teeth. She was last seen wearing blue jeans with holes in them, black boots, an infinity necklace and a ring on her finger.
If you know anything about her or have any leads, get in touch with the Manhattan Beach Police at (310) 802-5140.
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