14-year-old Mount Vernon girl remains missing after 2 weeks

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is reaching out to the public for assistance in finding a teenage girl from Mount Vernon who has been missing for two weeks.

Ella Jones, 14, was last seen in her room by her mother on the night of Jan. 5. The following morning, she, reportedly couldn’t be found. A complaint was registered with the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation.

Jones is approximately five feet, five inches tall and weighs roughly 130 pounds. She has brown eyes, brown hair and “very distinct” dimples, according to her mother. She is believed to be in the Mount Vernon area. It’s possible she traveled to other cities in Washington.

“At the time she left, she was believed to be wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, multi-colored plaid pajama pants and black Nike Air Force shoes,” Lt. Dave Shackleton wrote in a missing person’s report. “It is believed that she took additional clothing in a large green backpack when she left.” (A PDF of that report can be viewed here.)

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Jones’ mother, Sarah Merrill, told police and officials that Ella has never gone missing before and everyone is deeply concerned for her safety. Ella has not tried to contact any family or friends since she vanished, which is very unlike her, Merrill said.

“Ella, your family loves you so much and we are very worried for you,” Merrill said, according to The Everett Post. The Post is part of North Sound Media. “Everyone is doing everything we can to find you and bring you home safely. Please do not forget how much we all love you.”

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Merrill said her daughter had left a note the day she disappeared saying she loved her mother. But that was the last Merrill heard from her daughter, which she said was unusual.

“She has never done anything like this before, and it is completely unlike her and out of character, and everyone who knows her is extremely concerned about her well-being,” Merrill said.

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Jones’ friends also told Merrill the teen was communicating with a man in his late 20s or early 30s online on platforms like Discord. Merrill explained to the national outlet that she previously punished her daughter for talking to the stranger by temporarily taking her phone away. Merrill added that she did not realize the extent of any relationship her daughter may have been in.

“I didn’t fully realize the gravity of it …” Merrill said to Fox News. “You always have something kind of going on with teenagers to some extent. But, I mean, she’s really sweet, good natured kid. So, the longer it went, the more the kids started opening up about (the online relationship).”

Contributing: Steve Coogan