UPDATE: Missing Pueblo teen found in Colorado Springs
Pueblo police say the 16-year-old girl reported missing this weekend was found in Colorado Springs Friday.
The department confirmed that Ashley Stoneking was safe with Colorado Springs police after about 4:15 p.m.
The man she was allegedly with, Erik Garza, is also in custody and likely faces criminal charges, according to PPD.
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Investigators in Pueblo are looking for a missing teen who they believe may have run away from home to be with a man more than three times her own age.
Ashley Stoneking, who is just 16 years old, has been missing nearly three days. Her family believes Erik Garza, 54, manipulated Ashley into running away with him.
Investigators are asking the public’s help in identifying and finding both Ashley and Garza.
Ashley Stoneking was last seen Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m. at her home on 3100 block of Skyview Avenue on Pueblo’s north side. Investigators in Pueblo believe the teenager left on her own.
Garza lived with Ashley and her family at their home for some time. It was during this time the two began to have a relationship. Family members believe the relationship may have been romantic.
“He has manipulated her into believing they are going to get married when she turns 18, that they are going to live essentially the fairy tale life happily ever after,” said Darla Campbell, Ashley’s mother.
Campbell says she hasn’t been able to eat or sleep since her daughter’s disappearance, especially because the situation becomes more dire with each hour. Ashley left home with a variety of health issues, and all of her medications are at home in Pueblo.
“She hasn’t had her medication at all, so she could have seizures,” said Campbell. “Her seizures aren’t the same, they are always a different type of seizure.”
Stoneking lives with behavioral issues, high levels of anxiety, and PTSD. Her mother says she’s 16, however, her maturity level is that of an 8-to-12-year old.
Investigators have narrowed their search to Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Manitou Springs, where they believe Garza has ties.
The 54-year old may be driving a white hatchback with temporary plates.
Darla and her husband Bryce Campbell just want the nightmare to end.
“We know it’s not easy being a 16-year-old child, but just come home,” Darla pleaded when asked to give a message to her own daughter. “Come home where we know you are safe and you have food and clothes and family.”
Pueblo investigators tell me they did receive a tip from a civilian saying they saw Ashley in Colorado Springs. Police are currently working through that tip. Ashley has been put on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database. Pueblo Police say this case is not an Amber Alert yet because they do not know for a certainty that Ashley is with Garza, and they do not have Garza’s exact vehicle make, model, and license number.
If you have any information regarding either Ashley or Garza’s whereabouts you are encouraged to call local law enforcement as soon as possible.
