Richland family desperately searching for missing 15-year-old
Family members are desperately looking for a Richland teen they said disappeared Monday morning.
Tayla Hopkins, 15, vanished from her bedroom and her father and mother have turned to police and social media in a desperate hunt to find her.
'We just need to hear her voice,' her father Michael Guess told the Tri-City Herald.
Tayla left her house on Easter Sunday but after her family spent all day looking for her, she turned up with a 17-year-old ex-boyfriend from the Tri-Cities, Guess said.
She returned home and went to bed. However, she apparently left the house later with her ex-boyfriend after using her sister's phone to call him, said Guess.
He said he is particularly concerned because he believes they've gone to Texas.
After a Facebook post on Thursday, they received an Instagram message from someone claiming to be Tayla. But when they asked her call, they didn't get a response.
Tayla is 5-foot-1, about 105 pounds, with long dark hair and green eyes. She has a split in her right eyebrow. She also has scars on her right hand and her left arm.
Richland police Commander Damon Jansen confirmed that detectives are currently investigating her disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Richland Police Department using the non-emergency dispatch number 509-628-0333. It's case 25-016176.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Newsboys Respond to Sexual Assault Allegations Against Ex-Singer Michael Tait: ‘We Are Horrified, Heartbroken & Angry'
Contemporary Christian Music group Newsboys responded to recent allegations of sexual assault and drug use against former lead singer Michael Tait, who abruptly stepped away from the group in January. On Wednesday, The Roys Report published what it referred to as a two-and-a-half-year investigation into allegations against Tait. The outlet claims it spoke with more than 50 sources, including three people who claim that Tait groomed and sexually assaulted them while touring or at Tait's home. The accusers allege that the incidents took place between 2004 and 2014. Multiple people in the report also claimed that Tait was involved in drug use. More from Billboard The Weeknd Wanders Through Purgatory in 'Baptized in Fear' Music Video Miley Cyrus Says Madonna 'Was Down' to Mud Wrestle in a '4x4' Music Video, But Her Label Said No Belinda's 'Indómita' Album & More Best New Music Latin In an Instagram post on Thursday, the group's four current members — Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips and Adam Agee — responded to the allegations, writing, 'Last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait. While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated by even the implications. 'First and foremost, our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories,' the band's message continued. 'If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault. The four of us are husbands and fathers. Between the four of us, we have fourteen children. Our wives and children have made many sacrifices while we have dedicated our lives to playing music together that glorifies God. We are horrified, heartbroken and angry at this report and in many ways, we feel as if we and our families have been deceived for the past fifteen years.' Tait has not released a public response to the allegations contained in the report, and Billboard has not yet successfully reached him or a representative. A Newsboys rep did not respond to comment beyond the band's statement. Tait stepped down from his role in Newsboys in January just days before the group launched the second leg of their Worldwide Revival Nights Tour. At the time, Tait issued a statement, saying, 'I have made for me what is a monumental and heartfelt decision that it is time to step down from Newsboys. This decision does not come lightly and has been a shock to even myself, but amidst prayer and fasting, I have clarity that this is the right decision.' He joined Newsboys as their lead singer in 2009 following the exit of Peter Furler. Tait is also known for his founding role in the groundbreaking CCM group DC Talk from 1988-2001. That group, which also included TobyMac and Kevin Max, had such hits as 'Jesus Freak,' 'What If I Stumble?' and the Billboard Hot 100 hit 'Between You and Me.' Their 1995 album Jesus Freak, with its pop and hip-hop fusions, reached No. 16 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best rock gospel album. In 2000, the band went on hiatus, and Tait launched a decadelong solo career before joining Newsboys. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Arkansas police chief, serving time for murder and rape, escapes prison
A former police chief in Arkansas sentenced to prison for rape and first-degree murder remains on the run after escaping a state facility in a disguise, a department of corrections spokesperson confirmed on May 26. Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Arkansas, at 2:55 p.m. local time on May 25 wearing a "makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement," according to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The former Gateway, Arkansas, police chief was imprisoned in 2017. "We've had a lot of rain and it's hampered the search efforts for most of the day," Rand Champion, an Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson, told USA TODAY. "But it looks like the rain should subside, and hopefully, that will help." Champion said Hardin was only gone for about 20 minutes before an officer noticed he was missing. Hardin was sentenced in Benton County in 2017 to 30 years in prison for murder, according to his corrections department profile. He was then sentenced in 2019 to 25 years for rape. Sheriff Brandon Long of Stone County, which borders Calico Rock, said in a Facebook post that Hardin escaped through a secure entryway wearing a fake Department of Corrections uniform. A photo shared by the sheriff's office shows Hardin pushing a cart loaded with materials. Authorities consider Hardin "extremely dangerous." Officials are also investigating the events that led to Hardin's escape. The Arkansas Department of Corrections, Arkansas State Police, and local police are working to find Hardin, officials said. Police K-9 units are also searching for Hardin, Champion said. Hardin was serving decades-long sentences at the North Central Unit facility near the Missouri border in Calico Rock, Arkansas. The facility is located about 130 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, and can hold around 800 prisoners, according to the Department of Corrections. The facility is also about 130 miles east of the tiny Arkansas town of Gateway, where Hardin served as police chief, and near his last known address in Garfield, Arkansas, according to the corrections department. "He does have a law enforcement background," Champion said, KHBS/KHOG-TV reported. "Anytime something like this exists, we consider it a threat to the community." Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to shooting and killing James Appleton, according to KHBS/KHOG-TV. Appleton was killed in his truck in February of that year. His brother-in-law told police that he was on the phone with Appleton when a car sped down the road and stopped next to Appleton's. A witness said he saw a white sedan next to Appleton's truck, heard a boom, and saw the sedan leave. The witness found Appleton shot in the head in the truck, KHBS/KHOG-TV reported. Police in Rogers, Arkansas, another town in Benton County, used DNA evidence in 2018 to link Hardin to the 1997 rape of a school teacher, KHBS/KHOG-TV reported. The woman told police a man raped her when she had left her classroom for the restroom. He was disguised with a knit stocking and sunglasses and carried a pistol, according to KHBS/KHOG-TV. Hardin bounced around police departments before becoming the top cop in Gateway, according to KHBS/KHOG-TV and the Associated Press. He was with the Fayetteville Police Department from Aug. 6, 1990, to May 22, 1991, according to KHBS/KHOG-TV. The department's chief of police then said he terminated Hardin because his efforts "fall short of the average probationary officer" and that he had a "tendency to not accept constructive criticism along with indecisiveness under stressful situations." A spell at the Eureka Springs Police Department, from April 1993 to October 1996, was marred by excessive uses of force and poor decisions on the job, the department's former police chief said, according to 40/29. Hardin was the chief of police for Gateway for about four months at the start of 2016, according to the Associated Press. The man he killed, Appleton, was the brother-in-law of the town's mayor. Hardin's flight is just the latest high-profile escape in the nation. In New Orleans, 10 inmates – including some charged with murder – broke out of an Orleans Parish jail earlier in May. Louisiana State Police announced the arrests of three more inmates in the brazen prison escape. Authorities said two escapees, Derrick Groves, 27, and Antoine Massey, 32, remain at large. Groves, 27, was convicted of two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in October in connection with a shooting during Mardi Gras in 2018, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. Massey was charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle, according to Orleans Parish records. Authorities initially suspected that other individuals helped with their escape from the prison. At least seven people have been arrested and charged with helping the inmates, including a fellow inmate accused of collaborating with the escapees. 'Fear of retribution' in New Orleans: Mass jail escape brings a big uneasy "As I promised when we initiated our investigation, we will hold absolutely everyone who contributed any role to the prison break in New Orleans accountable," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said. Contributing: Jeanine Santucci (This story was updated to add new information and video.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Arkansas police chief sentenced for murder escapes prison
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Squirrel on the run: Chatham Police shoo away animal refusing to leave resident's garage
Video courtesy of the Chatham Police Department CHATHAM, Ill. (WCIA) — One 'nutty' animal was determined to stay put inside a homeowner's garage before Chatham Police were finally able to get it back out into the wild. In a Facebook post on Friday, the Chatham Police Department put out a video in which they were dispatched to a residence on Church Street. The caller said there was an animal inside of his garage and that he needed the department's help to get it out. Pet on the Set | Champaign County Animal Control Upon arrival, officers discovered a squirrel in the garage that wasn't too keen on leaving. Following an effort that lasted over two minutes, with the squirrel even trying to get into the house, the officers were able to shoo the animal away and have a good laugh with the homeowner. 'Our job is often so serious that we love to share stories showing you the lighter side of police work,' the department said in its post. 'PS – For those keeping score at home, that would be CPD 1, Squirrels 0!!' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.