Connecticut teen missing after New Year’s Eve date with man she met online: police
Erika VonDwingelo, 19, was last seen heading to meet a man named 'Chris' around 8 p.m. Wednesday, Naugatuck police said. She hasn't been heard from since and her cell phone has been turned off, her concerned father told the Daily News Friday.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, January 2, 2015, 6:05 PM
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NAUGATUCK POLICE DEPARTMENTErika VonDwingelo, 19, was last seen around 8 p.m. Wednesday while heading out to meet a man she met online named 'Chris,' police said.
A first date with a total stranger is feared to be behind the disappearance of a Connecticut teen.
Erika VonDwingelo was last seen by her family heading out on a date with a man she had only met online when she vanished around 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve, Naugatuck police said.
The 19-year-old revealed her plans only as involving an adult male named "Chris."
"It is unknown what the individuals last name is or where they were going," police stated in a release.
In a heart wrenching plea, the teen's father implored anyone who suspects that they may have seen her to contact him or police.
"I just want my daughter home," John Vondwinglo Sr. told the Daily News Friday.
"She usually calls me every day ... she usually lets us know where she is," he said. "Hopefully she just met this guy and they hit it off and she didn't want to come home."
When the teen went out that night, she left her mother's home and was picked up outside by her date who apparently wasn't seen by anyone inside, her father said.
NAUGATUCK POLICE DEPARTMENTThe Naugatuck teen is described as 5-feet, 7-inches, 275-pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
That left them with no immediate description of the man or of his vehicle, he said.
On the night she vanished, her phone was shut off too, he said.
The rattled father remains hopeful she'll come about, with him suggesting her disappearance could be over her parents' recent divorce.
"I just wish she'd call me or whomever," he said. "Just call and let us know she's OK."
Erika was last seen wearing black boots, blue jeans and a black sweat shirt.
She's described as 5-feet, 7-inches, 275-pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Naugatuck police department at (203) 729-5221.
