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Brooke Bridges Update: Social Media May Provide Clues In Search

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 01:57 PST, Feb 16, 2016

The search for Brooke Bridges is taking a new turn, according to a report on WTVM News Channel 9. Authorities with the FBI and Brewton Police Department have decided to focus on looking for the missing Alabama teen by utilizing social media. Will this aid in the search, successfully?

It has been over a week since 16-year-old Bridges was last seen. She was reportedly last seen in her home late in the evening, but vanished sometime during the night. Her parents say that their door was open when they noticed she was gone at around 4:00 a.m. the following morning. She was last seen wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a t-shirt — clearly not dressed like she was expecting to go anywhere that night.

Details on this case are slim, mostly because the FBI and Brewton authorities have asked the parents of Brooke Bridges to refrain from speaking about her case publicly. Her mother has gone on the record, however, expressing concern that her daughter was snatched from their home against her will.

Brooke Bridges appears to use social media frequently, with her last public post made just three days before she vanished from her family’s home. She reportedly left behind her coat, along with other belongings, including her purse. This indicates that she had either stepped out only briefly with the intent on coming back inside, or something nefarious took place — which her mother appears to believe.

“I am asking all of my Facebook friends and family, no matter where you are on the planet, to share this. Brooke has…

Posted by Reggie Carter Fokes on Tuesday, February 16, 2016“

Over the course of the past week, authorities with the FBI and Brewton Police Department have utilized various resources in the search for Brooke Bridges. Land, water, and air searches have been conducted — with divers thoroughly searching a lake near the teen’s home. WKRG News reports that Sheriff Grover Smith crashed his helicopter while searching for the teen, but was not hurt.


Through all the ground, air and water searches, no trace of Brooke has been located. This could be, in part, why authorities have decided to focus on social media in hopes of finding out what happened to the missing Alabama teen. Meanwhile, her parents have pleaded for her to return home — in case she is, in fact, a runaway.

Brooke Bridges isn’t the only person currently missing in the state of Alabama. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System shares that at least 150 people are missing in the state of Alabama — some of whom since the 1950s. Most of the numerous disappearances in the southern state, however, seem to have taken place since the year 2000. So over the past 16 years, approximately 100 men, women, and children have vanished without a trace in Alabama alone. Brooke Bridges is simply one of these missing people — but will she remain on the growing list of missing people waiting to be found?

Hopefully authorities in Alabama can figure out what happened to Brooke. In the meantime, if you have any information about this teen’s disappearance, please do not hesitate to contact authorities with the Brewton Police Department. You can also dial 911.

[Photo via Brewton Police Department]

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