BAYONNE, N.J. (WCBS 880) — A missing teenager from Staten Island was found last week, four months after she went missing, thanks to a social media post.
According to a report from the Staten Island Advance, the 17-year-old girl was found after an NYPD detective saw a photo of a sunset that she had posted to Facebook on Aug. 4.
The photo included a billboard advertisement for the New Jersey-based Lynch Law Firm and the detective was able to track down the exact location after emailing an attorney at the firm, the outlet reported.
The photo was eventually tracked to the Hudson Plaza Motel in Bayonne, where detectives ultimately located the girl along with another missing 16-year-old girl from upstate New York.
WCBS-TV reports the teenager – who was not identified – had been missing since April.
Her father, Anthony Davis, told the station that he was thrilled that detectives were able to locate his daughter but, says many questions remain unanswered.
“I was surprised and just ecstatic that they were able to find her,” he told WCBS-TV.
Davis told the outlet he believes his daughter and the other missing girl were likely victims of sex trafficking, considering they were found with two adults in the motel.
“I believe it was human trafficking because I don’t understand why a 20-year-old or a 65-year-old person could want with a 17-year-old,” he said.
Police sources told WCBS-TV there is currently no evidence to support that theory.