Missing Fremont teen found after almost two weeks
Authorities said Katie Hong was found unharmed and safe and would be reunited with her family after she went missing July 25. It was not immediately clear how and where Katie was found.
Katie was last spotted at a gas station on the corner of Blacow Road and Grimmer Boulevard walking south toward Irvington Community Park, police said.
Investigators believed that Katie had run away to meet online associates, after they found a note written by her expressing her intention of running away to meet people who she knew only by 'online screen names,' according to a Fremont Police Department press release last Thursday.
To find Katie, police relied on multiple search warrants and tried tracing her digital footprint. But at the end of last week, investigators said that they believed Katie was 'voluntarily' missing.
In the wake of her disappearance, Katie's family started a GoFundMe campaign to hire private investigators, and to raise counseling support for her younger sister. Both of her parents, who are deaf, also stepped away from work to search for Katie, according to the GoFundMe page.
"Praise God! We just got word that the police found Katie! Safe and unharmed! So grateful! Thank you all! This would not have been possible without you," James Han, Katie's uncle, wrote in an update to the campaign.
No other information was immediately available.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Missing Teen Girl Found Alive 2 Weeks After Going to Meet Online Contact
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Missing 16-year-old Katie Hong has been found by police in Fremont, California. following a search lasting nearly two weeks. The teenager was found unharmed and safe, said local officers in a press release. Hong was last seen at her home on July 25, and alarms were raised when a note was found saying she was intending to run away to possibly meet an individual or individuals she knew only by online screen names, said police. Why It Matters In 2024, the FBI's National Crime Information Center reported over 533,000 missing person cases across the U.S. This includes nearly 350,000 cases of missing juveniles. In this case authorities were faced with the possibility that Hong had been lured away via online contacts who wished her harm. Her disappearance highlights the need to keep young people safe online. What To Know The Fremont Police Department responded to a report of a missing juvenile at around 8:55 p.m. on July 25, when Hong was reported missing from her family home. The Fremont Police Department located 16-year-old Katie Hong on Thursday, concluding a nearly two-week search after she was last seen at her home on July 25. The Fremont Police Department located 16-year-old Katie Hong on Thursday, concluding a nearly two-week search after she was last seen at her home on July 25. Fremont Police Department Police said a note left behind expressed an intention of "running away" to potentially meet one or multiple online contacts. The note indicated that Hong's online contacts would not provide their real names, according to police. Officials said it does not appear that Hong had met these people prior to her disappearance. Hong was seen on multiple surveillance cameras walking alone from her residence to Irvington Community Park, a location referenced in the note. Police said she was wearing a large, red backpack and carrying what appeared to be a desktop computer. The Fremont Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit authored multiple search warrants and court orders in connection with this case. The last recorded location of Hong's phone was at Irvington Community Park. Investigators believed she left the phone at the park. Officials said Hong was active on various digital platforms, including gaming platforms. After her disappearance, investigators were unable to locate a digital footprint left directly by Hong. Police said she was believed to be "voluntarily missing," but at risk "based on current circumstances." Newsweek reached out to the Fremont Police Department for comment. Hong's family publicly sought assistance as the search continued, creating a GoFundMe to help cover legal costs, counseling for Hong's sister and daily living expenses. The fundraiser collected over $70,000. The family said it will return the donations. "Since she has returned, we feel that it would be more appropriate to return your donations back to you. We are simply grateful that she is home safe and unharmed," James Han, a relative of Hong, said in a GoFundMe update. What People Are Saying Fremont Police Department, on X: "We are relieved to share that missing juvenile Katie Hong has been located this afternoon (August 7, 2025). She is unharmed and safe, pending to be reunited with her family. We are grateful for everyone's support and assistance during the search." James Han, relative of Hong, in a GoFundMe update: "Praise God! We just got word that the police found Katie! Safe and unharmed! So grateful! Thank you all! This would not have been possible without you." What Happens Next The Fremont Police Department said more details will be shared as they become available. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
'Mom, help': Missing teen sends text before disappearing on vacation
A North Carolina family is searching for an 18-year-old who went missing more than a week ago while on vacation out of state. Giovanni Pelletier was on the trip with his family in Englewood, Florida, on Aug. 1 when he decided to visit other relatives about three hours away in Brevard County at around 1:30 a.m., according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Pelletier was riding north on I-75 along with his cousins when they said the teen "suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle" near Manatee County, the sheriff's office stated. In a GoFundMe, the family described his disappearance as "deeply troubling and suspicious." Teen sent a text to his mother before his disappearance The fundraiser says that Pelletier's mother last heard from him in a text, in which he wrote, "Mom, help." Speaking to ABC News, his aunt, Desiree, said that he also sent similar messages to his grandfather and another aunt. Missing People: A man had been missing since 1997 in Utah. Then, a foot was found. Search underway for missing teen According to Florida Today, part of USA TODAY Network, a truck recovered his belongings, a cellphone and a backpack, near Bradenton. Earlier this week, loved ones gathered in a wooded area in Mims, in Brevard, to search for the teen after receiving an anonymous tip. 'Our heart' The GoFundMe has raised nearly $15,000 of its $20,000 goal as of Friday morning, Aug. 8. It describes Pelletier as "smart, kind and full of life." According to Fox 13, the family is pleading for his return, offering a $25,000 reward for any information. "We understand there are a lot of people who may be scared to speak up, or maybe there aren't people who are willing to relay information, but this isn't just a missing person," his mother, Bridgette, told the news station. "This is our heart, and he's part of our family." The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office is working with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office on this investigation. USA TODAY has reached out to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office for more information. Contributing: J.D. Gallop, Florida Today Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Mother, grandmother, and aunt killed by deranged husband in murder suicide — leaving slain mom's 5-year-old daughter running for help
A blood-soaked 5-year-old girl ran to get help after witnessing her father kill her mom, aunt and grandmother before turning the gun on himself in a horrific murder-suicide at their Florida home, according to authorities and reports. Deputies found the three dead women and the dying shooter, identified as 34-year-old Christopher Bobby Rowell, at a home in Hilliard on the evening of July 24, Nassau County authorities said. The three victims were later identified as the girl's devoted mother Marissa Leara Rowell, 32; grandmother Sandra Gayle Fogarty, 71; and aunt Alisha Lael Fogarty, 33, according to a GoFundMe posted for the grieving family. 3 The young girl's grandmother Sandra Gayle Fogarty, mother Marissa Leara Rowell, and aunt Alisha Lael Fogarty were killed in a murder-suicide by Rowell's husband, Christopher Bobby Rowell. GoFundMe Authorities were alerted to stomach-turning crime when Marissa Rowell's 5-year-old daughter ran to a neighbor's house for help after she witnessed her family being slaughtered, cops said. 'The child said she was in the back of the house, heard a gunshot,' Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said in a news conference following the incident. 'She came down the hallway, saw a female on the floor in the living room/dining room area — another female grabbed her and put her in the bathroom. When that individual was shot, she got blood splattered on her,' he said. Christopher Rowell was Melissa Rowell's husband, the victim's cousin Steven Hallmark told First Coast News. 3 Authorities were alerted to the scene when Marissa Rowell's 5-year-old daughter ran to a neighbor's house for help after she witnessed her family being slaughtered. News4JAX 'I was at work listening to the radio and I had heard the shooter's name and as soon as I heard his name, my heart just skipped, I knew instantly,' Hallmark told the outlet. 'My aunt just bought a house, and they were in the process of moving. Marissa was going to be leaving him, taking the kid,' he said. The violent husband was still alive with a slight pulse when authorities arrived, but later died in the hospital of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, cops said. He was lying beside an SKS-style rifle when he was found, News4Jax reported. The front door was unlocked when cops arrived, and one woman's body was lying on the floor between the living room and dining room in a pool of blood, Leeper detailed. A second woman was discovered in a hallway bathroom, dead from head injuries, and the third was found shot to death in a bedroom, cops said. The little girl was not harmed. 3 Marissa Rowell was reportedly going to leave her husband and take her 5-year-old daughter with her when he went on the bloody rampage, a relative said. News4JAX 'The family we lost were cherished individuals who brought joy and love to everyone around them,' relatives of the three women wrote in a fundraiser statement. 'We lost a devoted mother (Marissa Leara Rowell), who was a guiding light for her five-year-old daughter, a loving first-time grandmother (Sandra Gayle Fogarty) who waited her whole life to have a granddaughter in her life, and a devoted aunt (Alisha Lael Fogarty) who was crazy for her niece and loved spending hours playing games with her and being by her side like a sister,' the statement wrote. 'This child now faces a future without the warmth and loving support of her family, and we are committed to ensuring she receives the care and love she needs to heal from this traumatic incident,' the heartbroken family said. A GoFundMe to support cremation expenses has raised over $8,000 of its $15,000 goal.
