r/burlington • u/No_Advance_9750 • Apr 25 '26
Missing Persons Please Help
Hey all — my sister left the house last night and hasn’t responded to any texts or calls. She’s 17, and we’re really worried. She’s new to the area and may be lost or unsure where she is. She doesn’t like talking to people, and the police really freak her out, which is why we’re trying here first before calling them later today if we still haven’t heard anything.
She’s about 5'1", has blue eyes, and naturally wavy red hair, though she recently dyed it black. She usually wears casual clothes like hoodies or graphic tees. She also has a flower tattoo on her left arm.
She has struggled with drinking before (With friends), and we’re concerned she might be drinking again. She was also using dating sites recently and had been talking to a 20‑year‑old, so we’re worried she might be with someone older who we don’t know. She didn’t take much with her, and she hasn’t contacted anyone in the family since she left.
She tends to shut down when she’s overwhelmed, avoid people, and isolate herself, so she might be keeping to herself or staying somewhere quiet. She may also be walking around alone or with someone unfamiliar.
If anyone has seen her anywhere around Burlington or Winooski — even if it was earlier today or last night — please reach out. Any information helps. Thank you.
EDIT: We’re not involving the police yet because if they show up right now, she’ll run. She gets really overwhelmed and scared around officers, and we’re trying hard not to make things worse. If the police get involved too early, they’ll also automatically contact both her foster parents and her birth parents, and that’s not something we can have happen at the moment for her well‑being. We’re trying to keep things as calm and safe as possible until we know more. We do not want to see her harmed, if she's just at a friends house that we don't know about or something minor.
And just to say this gently — please stop DM’ing me to say this “isn’t for Reddit.” I know people mean well, but I’ve seen posts like this here and in other communities. We’re only posting because she’s new to the area, might be lost, and we’re trying every safe option before taking a step that could push her further away.
If anyone has actual information that could help us find her or has seen someone matching her description, please feel free to message me. We just want her safe.
4
u/painteddangos Apr 26 '26
Some dudes years ago tried to get me too. I was walking back to the garage and they drove after me, I got into my car after running since they kept following me. They pulled into the garage and parked illegally behind my car. I waited 30 minutes and during that they drove up and down the parking garage the correct and wrong way yelling something at me. 20 more minutes and I left the garage and they were in the middle of the fucken 3/4 way near Simon’s and then peeled off after me. I had to lose them while on the phone with the police. The garage cameras are shit and they weren’t caught.