The father of missing White County girl Sarah Key spoke out about the Endangered Child Alert issued for her.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued the alert for the 17-year-old Saturday.
Sarah's father, Scott Key, said the last time he saw Sarah was Thursday night as she and the family were heading to bed. By Friday morning, he said she was gone.
Scott said Sarah is a very outgoing girl who is excited about her future.
"She was looking forward to getting her diploma, going to cosmetology school that's been her dream since she was a little girl," Scott said.
In the Endangered Child Alert issued Saturday, the TBI said Sarah may have run away with a 30-year-old man.
Sarah's father said that man is a friend of her mother's neighbor, someone he said Sarah was in a relationship with.
"It was somebody to lean her head on, and it turned into a relationship," Scott said.
Scott said that 30-year-old is the same person arrested last month on a charge of sexual contact with a minor, a charge he said involved his daughter.
NewsChannel 5 is not releasing the man's name, because the TBI is also withholding it, saying "there is no definitive proof that the two are together."
"I just want her to know we love her, we're worried about her, we'd love to hear from her, we want her to come home," Scott said.
He told NewsChannel 5 he wished the TBI would send out an AMBER Alert for his daughter, which would send out cell phone alerts along with other notifications.
However, the TBI has specific criteria for issuing Amber Alerts.
Along with a good description of the child, or the suspect or the vehicle they left in, the child must be less than 18 years old, and the child must be in imminent danger of bodily injury or death.
TBI officials said this missing child did not meet those criteria for an AMBER Alert.
