PHOENIX — A 13-year-old Phoenix girl has been missing for twenty days after her father said she left home in the middle of the night.
Jessica Holtzinger's father said she left their home near 24th Street and Roosevelt after she accidentally caught a neighbor's patio umbrella on fire. She thought she would be in trouble with the police or that the fire would lead to her family getting kicked out of their home.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Continúa la búsqueda de una niña de 13 años que huyó a mediados de junio
“My daughter felt guilty because of all that and that's the exact reason why she left because she didn't want me or her grandmother to lose our house because of something she did," said David Holtzinger, her father.
Holtzinger said he last saw his daughter before midnight on June 17th. He said he talked to her for a few hours before going to sleep around midnight. He woke up around 12:30 a.m. and she was gone. Every moment since has been agonizing.
“We have not had a single lead," Holtzinger said. “Nobody's spoken up and I honestly feel that she might be in danger at this point.”
Jessica is going into the eighth grade at Excelencia School. She loves to read, draw and write.
Community members came together Sunday afternoon to broaden the search for her.
“Jessica's a student I've known for two years and I've been able to develop a really awesome relationship with her. But it's very scary because you just you never know who's out there," said Emily Burger who went to fellow students' homes Sunday searching for Jessica.
Groups of volunteers broke up into groups and searched parks, cooling centers and libraries across the Valley looking for any sign of Jessica. The Missing in America Network and Arizona's Missing Child Taskforce assisted in coordinating the search effort. They passed out fliers and taped them in popular areas.
Jessica is 5-feet 3-inches tall and weighs 95 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt, blue shorts and white and pink Nike shoes.
“She was running away because she was scared and she didn't want her family to get in trouble. And so, I mean, that shows she has such a big heart," said Rhonda Dequier, the founder of Missing In America Network.
Jessica's father is urging the public to help by sharing Jessica's photo and information on social media.
“Everybody's worried about her. We just want her home safe," Holtzinger said.
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