(UPDATE) Father Says Missing Wayland Teen 'Obviously Has Help'

New York Police continue to search for 13-year-old Allie Loftis, who is believed to have run away from her home in Wayland on Friday, Nov. 4.

Allie’s father, Tony, said that he agrees with New York authorities that the situation has changed given the length of time his daughter has been able to remain hidden in spite of the large number of people looking for her.

Loftis said it now seems likely that Allie was “lured” to New York City. He said that he and his wife made a practice of monitoring their daughter’s Facebook and other online activity, and they have no ideas regarding who she may have traveled to the city to meet. Even so, Loftis said it seems unlikely, regardless of how much money his daughter took with her from Wayland, that she remains on her own.

“She obviously has help,” he said.

At this point, Loftis said, authorities believe the eighth grader is staying underground and out of sight, whether willingly or unwillingly.

“Wherever she is, she’s buried,” Loftis said. He explained that the initial search efforts asked people to search for her without hanging posters in places that she might see them. The idea was to look for her while maintaining her comfort zone and not forcing her further underground.

“Now we need to blast her out,” Loftis said. “I don’t imagine that it’s possible that we can still go out of her comfort zone. Whether she is being held willingly or against her will … it’s impossible for him or her to keep [Allie] underground for long.”

Wayland Police Chief Bob Irving said two Wayland Police detectives, Det. Sgt. Jamie Berger and Det. Ruth Backman, will be in New York City Tuesday to meet with the New York City Missing Person Unit about the case.

Irving said the purpose of the visit is to "make sure we are covering all the bases, in a coordinated way." The Wayland detectives will also meet with Tony Loftis, who remains in New York City searching for his daughter.

Messages from family, friends and strangers have been pouring into the “Find Allie Loftis” page on Facebook. Loftis said his family is “devastated,” but is also “very strong.”

A photo of Loftis and his daughter was posted Monday afternoon on the page. The caption with the photo reads, “one of many trips to get ice cream w dad, i luv u honey, pls let us know u r ok.” 

Loftis said a “Find Allie Loftis” YouTube channel should be up within about 24 hours. It will be a place where friends and family can post videos and messages for Allie.  

Allie was last seen on surveillance footage exiting a bus at the New York Port Authority in Manhattan on Nov. 4. Police believe she may have traveled to Brooklyn, though Tony Loftis said the search is also ongoing in Manhattan.

Allie was wearing a hip-length black jacket with a gray fur-trimmed hood, black UGG boots and jeans. She walked with one aluminum crutch, which she uses for a knee injury. She is 5 foot, 4 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has pierced ears and braces.