Family Says Cellphone Ping Led To Location Of Missing 14-Year-Old In Duncan

After nearly 24 hours of searching by Kingfisher County Sheriff’s deputies and several police agencies, a missing Hennessey teen has been found safe. 

The family had feared the 14-year-old had been abducted. Now, it appears she ran away. 

Katelyn Renshaw went to work with her father Thursday evening. Around 5:45 p.m., she told him she had to go to the bathroom. Instead, she took off. A nearby security camera shot video of a pickup near the spot where the teen took off. The same truck was later spotted by a traffic camera on Okarche.

"They had a ping on a cellphone that she had within the timeframe that the truck was in the camera,” said Renshaw’s cousin, Alicia Seiger. "So, she turned the phone on just for a moment but long enough to get a ping."

Seiger was found at a basketball game in Duncan about two and a half hours away Friday afternoon. 

We don’t know whether the pick-up truck was involved in her disappearance, and family members say she’s not telling them or police where she was or what happened. We do know she was angry with her parents. They took her phone away because she was talking on social media with an older guy.

"Normal teenage girl, you know, mad at your parents,” said Seiger.

The Kingfisher County sheriff was not available for comment, but Canadian County Sheriff Chris West says advances in technology make it easier for police to track missing teens or criminals. They can use social media, ping phones and track credit card usage to find people.

"It's really hard to go off the grid all the way. So, it really helps law enforcement a lot to be able to tap into all that technology,” said Sheriff West.

But ultimately, West says it’s up to parents to check their children’s phones and computers for unusual activity.

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"You need to be involved in your child’s life. You need to have some control over their cellular telephones. Over their computers,” said West. "Your first responsibility is to be a parent. They really need you to be a parent to protect them. And, you know, we call that tough love."