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Amber Alert Issued In Tennessee For Daphne Westbrook, 17, Last Seen In Colorado

(CBS4) - Authorities in Tennessee issued an amber alert on Wednesday for Daphne Westbrook, 17, who has been missing for more than a year and was recently spotted in Colorado. Daphne is believed to be with her father, John Oliver Westbrook, 42, who is wanted for aggravated kidnapping and custodial interference.

Daphne Westbrook
(credit: Hamilton County TN District Attorney)

Daphne disappeared from Chattanooga in October 2019, along with her dogs, Fern and Strawberry, after failing to return home from a weekend visit with her dad.

John may have traveled to the western United States with Daphne. Investigators say he has known contacts in Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Washington.

john westbrook (hamilton county da)
John Westbrook (credit: Hamilton County TN District Attorney)

In November 2020, Daphne was seen in the Denver area. Last month, John Westbrook spent several weeks in the Pueblo, Colorado area.

Daphne is 5'3 with brown hair and brown eyes. John is 6'4 with brown hair and blue eyes.

Authorities say Daphne is being held against her will, unable to communicate with the outside world.

"John Oliver Westbrook is an IT expert specializing in security, block chain technology, and bit coin," stated the Hamilton County, Tennessee District Attorney's Office. "He is communicating in a way that's almost impossible to trace, which makes it extremely difficult for investigators to generate significant leads in this case. We know he is earning money contracting with small businesses to do computer security work."

Investigators believe Westbrook occasionally takes Daphne to ride horses, so they are alerting businesses to be on alert. Anyone with information about Daphne or her father's whereabouts is asked to contact the following:

Hamilton County, TN DA's Office
1-423-209-7415

DAPHNE TIPS email:
FindingDaphne@hcdatn.org

 

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