Denver, Douglas County, Exclusives, Featured, Original Report, Sherrie Peif, Uncategorized

Missing teen Whitney Lulloff believed to be safe, refuses to return home

HIGHLANDS RANCH — A 16-year-old girl who disappeared Jan. 4 after returning home from a trip to Phoenix to see her father, has been in contact with the Denver Police Department. It is believed she is safe, but refusing to return home.

On Jan. 10, Complete Colorado broke the news that a girl purporting to be Whitney Lulloff called well-known school-safety advocate Evan Todd after a mutual acquaintance recommended Todd as someone Lulloff could trust. Todd spoke with Lulloff for nearly an hour, in which Lulloff explained to Todd why she was refusing to go home.

She also sent Todd a video verifying she is who she said was. Complete Colorado published that video on Jan. 10 and has listened to the audio from the phone call, but will not release details pending validation of claims made by Lulloff from law enforcement.

Evan Todd

However, the girl expresses fear for her safety and wellbeing, adding she has tried on multiple occasions to report her concerns to school officials with no resolution. Friends of Lulloff’s have been supporting her claims on various social media sites, while the girl’s mother and other family discount the reports, saying Lulloff has not contacted police and that she has not been located. The girl’s mother has also called the video fake, in one report.

In the conversation with Todd, Lulloff says she is with a family from the Mormon church, and that she is safe.

Todd told Complete Colorado on Tuesday that he has spoken on multiple occasions since Sunday with investigators from the Denver Police Department (DPD) and they have confirmed to him that they are confident the teen who called him is Lulloff, based on her knowledge of certain information, Todd said.

“It’s my understanding that they verified to their satisfaction that it is her,” Todd said.

Todd said they were also attempting to arrange contact with social service, but the girl has since stopped returning calls to the DPD. Todd has put out a plea to her on social media to get back in touch with investigators.

However, Todd said he believes she is terrified to go home and fears social service will send her back there.

“She has lost trust in the police, in the legal system, the SROs in her school,” Todd said. “Nothing has come from her previous complaints. They just sent her back home. She believes she has run out of options but to stay with the family she is with.”

The Denver Police Department had not returned requests for more information as of press time. Complete Colorado will update the story, as necessary.

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