Almost five days since a teen went missing from a Willow Glen neighborhood in San Jose, leads that came in helped find her Wednesday morning, police say.
San Jose police officer spokesman Albert Morales said detective Kelvin Pham was helping parents Virginia and Mark Waite find their daughter Evgenia (Zhenya) Waite, who disappeared Friday evening after an argument with dad.
"We have Zhenya safe at home with us now," said a relieved dad Mark Waite. "She's a little raggedy, but fine."
A post on the Willow Glen Charm Facebook page, which was removed early this morning, said the 15-year-old St. Lawrence Academy student had been found.
Greg Barr and his wife Holly, both Willow Glen residents initially posted the missing girl's flyer on their blog Monday because one of her teachers contacted the couple and asked their help in spreading the word.
"We got several hundred shares, people expressing concern and giving prayers," he said. "She's from Willow Glen so we just wanted to help out."
Virginia Waite said she received a tip as to her daughter's possible whereabouts Tuesday evening at 10 p.m., but declined to reveal who it came from so as to not jeopardize the investigation.
Virginia Waite said the community of Willow Glen and Evergreen Valley, where she lives, rallied around her family to find the girl.
Missing person fliers were distributed to the community by several friends, family members and San Jose City Councilwoman Rose Herrera's office.
The teen's mother said she received about 50 emails a day since the girl's disappearance from people in the Evergreen and Willow Glen communities, and all over the Bay Area.
"I've had people offer me food, help with putting up fliers and going to look for her ... all kinds of amazing things," she said.
Officer Morales, who has a teenage daughter himself, said from his time working at local high schools, said when teens run away the situation is compounded by the difficulties of adolescence. "It's important for parents to be aware of where their children are at all times, who they hang out with, what social media websites they're on ... " officer Morales said.
"Most teens have a Facebook account, a Myspace.com account ... they're on Twitter and Instagram. Our response here is to categorize these cases. If we have any leads where we believe there's foul play and that it needs to be addressed immediately, we classify the individual as at-risk," Morales explained.
