WMTW and Sun Journal: Maine Deputies Still Searching for Turner Teen Skylar Rowe

A teenage girl from Turner, Maine, has been missing for more than a week, and the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office says it still has serious concerns for her safety. Skylar Rowe was last seen at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at her grandmother's home on County Road in Turner.

The sheriff's office described her as 13 years old in its alert. Her family and several news outlets, including WMTW and the Sun Journal, have reported her age as 14. Whatever the number, she is a child, and the people responsible for her want to see her home.

What Deputies Have Said

According to the sheriff's office, Skylar is about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. When she was last seen, she was wearing black leggings and a camouflage shirt.

Chief Deputy William Gagne told the Sun Journal that Skylar may be with her biological mother, Kasey Rowe, or with an adult man the office described as a friend of her mother's. Investigators received information that she may be traveling toward Memphis, Tennessee.

The sheriff's office said that because of Skylar's age and the circumstances of her disappearance, there are serious concerns for her safety and well being. A deputy has been assigned to the case.

A Phone Call Is Not the Same as Being Found

Skylar has reached out since she left. Gagne told the Sun Journal that she called the sheriff's office and said she was safe, but she would not give her location or confirm who she was with. Her aunt, Tiffani Rowe, told WMTW that Skylar also called her father from a private number, said "I'm safe," and hung up.

Those calls are a relief to her family, but they do not close a case. Deputies have said they need to set eyes on Skylar, or at least speak with her mother, to confirm she is truly all right. A voice on the phone cannot tell investigators where a child is sleeping, who is caring for her, or whether she is free to come home.

On Monday, Nov. 9, the sheriff's office told WMTW there were no new updates. Police said they believe Skylar and her mother are no longer in Maine and may be headed to Tennessee. They also said the investigation does not involve any other children.

A Family Waiting in Turner

Skylar had been living with her aunt, who told WMTW that she holds legal guardianship of her niece. Her grandmother, Valerie Rowe, told the station she believes Skylar slipped out of the house while she was babysitting younger children in the family.

The family's message has been simple. "Skylar, come home. You know we love you and we miss you," her grandmother told WMTW. Her grandfather told the Sun Journal that the family is not angry with her and only wants to know she is safe.

Cases like this one are often described as complicated family situations, and that is true here. But complicated does not mean low risk. When a young teenager leaves the home of her legal guardian and investigators cannot confirm where she is, the right response is attention, not assumptions.

How You Can Help

If you live in Maine, in the Memphis area, or anywhere along the roads between them, take a moment to remember Skylar's description. A girl about 5 feet 3 inches tall, around 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Her clothing has likely changed since Nov. 3, so focus on her face and build.

Anyone with information about Skylar's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office at 207-753-2599. Tips about any missing child can also be shared with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at its 24 hour line, 1 800 THE LOST (1 800 843 5678).

Please do not approach anyone yourself, and please do not share rumors or guesses about the adults involved online. Police have not announced any charges in this case, and speculation only makes the work harder. Share the official alert instead, and let investigators do their job.

Bringing Skylar Home

Every missing child case comes down to one goal, which is getting that child back to safety. Skylar Rowe has a family in Turner that is waiting by the phone and a sheriff's office that wants to see her with its own eyes.

If you know something, make the call. If you do not, share her name and the sheriff's number. Sometimes the tip that matters comes from someone who did not think what they saw was important.