Investigators hope Florida Amber Alert leads to kidnapped Tennessee teen after possible Panhandle sighting
TAMPA, Fla. - Authorities issued a statewide Amber Alert in Florida Friday for a missing Tennessee teenager after she might have been spotted in the Panhandle.
Daphne Westbrook, 17, hasn't been seen since October 2019, when she didn't return home after visiting her father, John Westbrook, who investigators say is her abductor.
According to Hamilton County, TN District Attorney Neal Pinkston, a woman saw a vehicle in Fort Walton Beach that investigators believe might belong to John Westbrook.
"The caller who called into Tennessee with the sighting of them mentioned a vehicle that they were in. That vehicle is a vehicle that’s owned by him, the suspect. And that was never made public until now with your Amber Alert," Pinkston said. "So she called in with a very important detail that...had never been publicized."
The car is very unique: an orange 1971 Volkswagen Beetle with no front windshield or license plate.
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Pinkston told FOX 13 the woman saw two people in the car who she later realized might be the Westbrooks. Authorities issued the Amber Alert and believe the father might be taking his daughter to Sebring, where his sister lives.
Photos of John Westbrook's orange VW Beetle (courtesy: Hamilton County District Attorney's Office)
"There is a search warrant executed on her house this week. She’s been uncooperative," Pinkston said. "[Her] phone, computer, a tablet device, were seized. That forensic evaluation is still ongoing, but he travels to places where he’s familiar with and people he’s familiar with."
John Westbrook, 42, is considered an expert in disguise, has shielded their phones from detection and uses cryptocurrency. Investigators believe he is keeping her addicted to LSD to control her.
Daphne is 5’3", weighs 110 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. John Westbrook is 6’4," weighs 200 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone who may have spotted Daphne or John is asked to call the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office at 1-423-209-7425, or dial 911. Tips can be submitted to FindingDaphne@hcdatn.org.
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