Still No Sign Of Missing Florence Teen

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FLORENCE -- Investigators have used search dogs and contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in their ongoing quest to find a missing northern Kentucky teenager.

Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said detectives have scoured northern Kentucky and southern Ohio searching for 17-year-old Paige Johnson of Florence.

Johnson was last seen Sept. 23. A male acquaintance told police he dropped Johnson off at about 1 a.m. to visit a friend. Johnson's mother, Donna Johnson, has not heard from the teen since and the girl did not make it to the friend's home.

Sanders said his office has issued numerous subpoenas for records.

Investigators said the male acquaintance has hired an attorney and declined to answer questions.

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COVINGTON - Investigators unleashed search dogs Friday and representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children continued to look, but no one was able to find missing 17-year-old Paige Johnson.

"They are looking for Paige around the clock," Kenton Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said. "Detectives have crisscrossed Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio."

Patrol officers have canvassed Covington's East Side neighborhood where Johnson was last seen Sept. 23. Sanders said his office has issued numerous subpoenas for records. Family members have hung hundreds of missing person posters and appeared on the cable television show "Nancy Grace" Wednesday appealing for the public's help.

Johnson's mother, Donna Johnson, has not heard from the 17-year-old mother since a male acquaintance dropped her off at about 1 a.m. at 15th and Scott streets to visit a friend.

She never made it to that friend's house.

"There has been no arrests in the case," Covington police Capt. Teal Nally said. "We can't confirm a crime has been committed, but we certainly are worried for her safety."

Donna Johnson said it was out of her daughter's character to disappear. Johnson has a 2-year-old daughter she regularly visits on the weekend. The daughter's father and his family have custody of the child, Nally said, adding that the child's father isn't thought to have been involved in the disappearance.

Johnson also hasn't logged on to various social networking sites she regularly visited. She left her mother's home with no mobile phone and no credit cards. The teen, who was looking for a job, lived with her mother in Florence about 10 miles away from where she was last seen.

"It makes no sense she would leave because she just applied for a job," Donna Johnson said. "She was also looking at enrolling at Gateway Community College."

Investigators became more concerned when the male acquaintance who said he dropped Johnson off hired a lawyer and refused to answer further questions. Nally said detectives wanted to know anything else Johnson might have told him about her plans for the night.

Nally wouldn't release the name of the man who dropped off Johnson.

"We haven't even been able to confirm a crime has been committed so to call anyone a suspect I think would be premature," Nally said.

Investigators were further concerned when another male acquaintance they tried to question hired a lawyer and refused to cooperate. Nally would also not release that person's name.

The missing posters have generated tips, Nally said. People have reported seeing a teen matching Johnson's description in Cincinnati, Hamilton and Newport but all the reports have turned out to be unfounded.

"The case has generated a good amount of publicity, but, so far, there is no credible evidence that Paige has been sighted," Sanders said. "We still hold out hope that she will be found alive but the fact that prosecutors are involved is obviously not a good sign."

Covington police Lt. Col. Spike Jones said the city gets about 100 children reported missing a year but almost all are located. He said is it is unusual to have a teen missing for this amount of time.

"We are just very hopeful that Paige is aware we are looking for her and she will reach out and contact us, or contact her family, and let us know she is OK," Jones said. "Until that point, we will continue to look for her."

He said investigators brought search dogs to a home Johnson might have visited in Taylor Mill but did not find her.

Robert Lowery of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va. said representatives are in Covington to provide any assistance investigators need. That can range from providing case analysis, computer searches on social networking sites and missing poster distribution.

Nally said the center's representative has been acting as a liaison between Johnson's family and the investigators.

"It is our hope that Paige has just decided to leave the area for a while ... and that she would resurface," Nally said.