HURST, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a local AMBER Alert for a missing 16-year-old girl, who is also a special education student at LD Bell High School, per her parents.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Zoe Rowbotham, 16, was last seen at about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the intersection of Bluebonnet Drive and Arwine Drive in Hurst.
A flyer describing Rowbotham's disappearance states that she is 5'6 "and about 240 pounds and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black bicycle shorts, and white shoes.
Hurst police say Rowbotham may be in need of medication.
Her stepparents, Andre, and Catrina Rowbotham, spoke with WFAA about the teen's disappearance. They said she was last seen Sunday night when she was exercising with her dad.
They said that the teen was anxious as of late and that they had talked to her about entering a long-term treatment facility for her disabilities.
The Rowbothams said that Zoe is an intelligent student, but has the decision making capabilities of a child.
That is one of the reasons they're desperately trying to find her.
"Her anxiety was high, and one of the best ways to alleviate that is through exercise. We were trying to do a walk/run, but she became defiant about not doing it. She wanted to go a different way and refused to go with me," Andre Rowbotham said.
Rowbotham's stepfather added that Zoe went up the hill on Bluebonnet and that he took a shortcut to meet her at the top, swinging by his home and telling his wife what happened.
But when they got to the top of the hill, Andre says Zoe never showed up, and the pair called the police.
"I knew she was going to take some time getting up that hill, so I knew I could get to her by the time she got to the top. By the time we got back here--she wasn't here. Either she got picked up or went somewhere that we don't know. She doesn't have a lot of contact with people," Andre Rowbotham said.
Catrina Rowbotham stressed that her stepdaughter isn't a typical runaway case due to her mental faculties. She added that Zoe doesn't even have a phone and has never left her family.
"You always see AMBER Alerts, but seeing your kid on one--not knowing where she's at--I just want to know where she is and if she's okay," Catrina Rowbotham said.
Anyone with information about Rowbotham's whereabouts is asked to call 911.