HASTINGS, Fla. — The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are working to find a Hastings teenager last seen on January 3rd.
Officials say they have reason to believe 16-year-old Collin Kirk may still be in the area, or have traveled to Wallins Creek, Kentucky.
He’s described as a 5′4″ boy with brown eyes and brown hair and weighs around 125 pounds.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
According to Collin’s stepmother, Jessica Kirk, Collin was last seen around 6:30 p.m. at their home in Hastings. He had been watching a movie with his siblings and stepped outside to turn on a heat lamp for the family’s dogs, but never returned.
Read: ‘They’re literally tugging on him’ | Details released in deadly dog attack that killed Florida boy
NCMEC shared this message from the Kirk family, which they hope will reach Collin:
“Collin, we want you to know that we love and miss you so much. We will never stop searching for you, even if it kills us. You are heavy in our thoughts and our hearts and always will be. A week has gone by in our search for you, and we will not stop searching until we find the truth.
For those that know something about our boy, please find it in your heart to let us know he is OK. Please speak up in truth. Not knowing how he is or what he’s going through is torturous for us. We are tormented daily at the idea that something has happened to him.
We as a family are taking this so hard. Your siblings have no idea what to think or how to feel. They don’t understand how or why something like this could happen. A part of our family is missing. We need you, and the sooner you can come home to us, the sooner we will feel whole again.”
Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the National Center at 1-800-THE-LOST or The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 824-8304.
Read: ‘A punch in the gut’: Parents of teen recovering from St. Johns County hit and run seeking justice
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.