SPANISH FORK, Utah — Law enforcement authorities in Utah County and Spanish Fork are searching for two young teenagers who are believed to have run away from home.
A third teen originally declared missing was found Monday in Idaho.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office was first contacted Saturday by a person related to 13-year-old Elijah Seeley saying he had left home and was possibly with another girl. The two were also thought to be traveling with 14-year-old Katiana Peterson.
Seeley and Peterson are still missing.
"It was just a blindside, we never saw it coming," said Seeley's father, Dawson.
Officials were concerned after seeing entries in Seeley's journal that mentioned heading to Mexico and dealing drugs as a way to support himself. There was also a mention of someone named "Victor" in the journal, but authorities have yet to identify or locate that person.
Dawson Seeley believes his son left home because he wanted to have a girlfriend and his parents thought he was too young to have one. He said the family and Elijah got along well and they are all surprised he left.
While Seeley had money on him when he left, he did not take his phone. However, officials believe he and the group have another phone with them.
"It's been devastating," said Cherri Seely, Elijah's stepmother. "Nobody wants to go to pick your child up from where you're supposed to go pick them up and they're not there. I think it's every parents' worst nightmare to not have your child be where they're supposed to be."
Seeley's family said they obtained video Monday showing Elijah at Diamond Fork Middle School at 1:35 a.m. Saturday.
"That's a grave concern for us, being out on their own," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office. "Kids don't always have a really good grasp of reality when it comes to what it's going to take to exist and survive, and how to deal with any dangerous situations that they might encounter."
Cannon added that the risk concern for the group is real.
"People might see them and believe they can take advantage of them in some way, and if we look at worst-case scenarios, they're lives could even be in danger," said Cannon.
Another entry in the journal suggested that Seeley and the group could be looking to obtain firearms for protection.
The trio has been entered into a national database so if they're found out of state, law enforcement will be alerted that they are considered missing in Utah.
Anyone with information on the group's whereabouts is asked to contact the Utah County Sheriff's Office or Spanish Fork Police Department. Cannon added that nothing is worth the teenagers leaving home and putting themselves in harm's way.
"Whatever's going on in their life is not serious enough for them to runaway and put themselves at risk in this way and cause their families some serious concern and worry because of them being gone."
