A search for two Michigan teens has become a cross county search and the mother of one of the teens tells 23ABC that they could have made their way to Kern County.
Trisha Botma, the mother of 16-year-old Marie Fly, tells 23ABC her daughter was taken by 23-year-old Dennis Nuffesse after Botma dropped Fly off at school on Wednesday.
Botma says the school called her 10 minutes after she dropped Fly and said her father had picked her up from school. Botma says Fly's father does not have visitation rights. According to Botma, Nuffesse is a cousin to Fly's father.
Deputy Chris Halleck, who is handling the case for the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office in Michigan, says Fly is being viewed as a runaway who went willingly with Nuffesse. Halleck said Fly and Nuffesse teamed up with another couple, which includes 17-year-old Ashley Pohl, near Grand Rapids. It is unclear who Pohl is with and if she went willingly.
Botma tells 23ABC that Pohl has been sending Snapchat messages and her mother has been able to access them. Halleck confirmed the use of Snapchat messaging but did not say how it is playing a role in the search.
Through the Snapchat messages, Botma says she believes her daughter and Pohl are in Kern County.
Halleck could not confirm if the girls are headed to Kern County, but said they suspect they are headed to Nuffesse's father's home, which is somewhere in Calfornia.
Botma said Nuffesse is driving a maroon 2005 Chevrolet Classic with Michigan license plates DRE9863 or DRN0680. Botma said the car could have a busted window with cardboard covering it.
Halleck says Nuffesse could face charges of harboring a runaway or contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
