As federal agencies ramp up efforts to locate a missing Florida girl last seen nearly eight months ago, the FBI is dangling a $15,000 carrot for anyone who can offer information leading to her. Lori Paige, a 12-year-old from Tallahassee, vanished on June 3, 2023, sparking an extensive manhunt that has yet to yield results, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. The Tallahassee Police Department believes she may be moving through Georgia, with her last known location near the 1200 block of Continental Court in Tallahassee.
The FBI in Jacksonville, spearheading the national attention campaign, is hoping the substantial reward will lure out crucial tips, their search expanded to include billboards across crucial connection points in Valdosta, Macon, Atlanta, and even as far as Rome, Georgia, as KPTV conveyed. Paige is described as standing five feet tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with brown eyes and black shoulder-length hair styled in dreadlocks; details that law enforcement hope will stand out to the public.
Local law enforcement, along with the FBI, are pooling their resources in a vibrant efforts that recently included a grueling search at Mission San Luis Park, where approximately 90 police and fire department staff combed through a 64-acre area. This was the fifth such meticulous search for Paige since her disappearance, which has been noted by the Tallahassee Police Department as the longest missing juvenile case they've seen over the past year.
"The FBI will stop at nothing to protect kids," said FBI Jacksonville Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis, according to KPTV, reaffirming the department's resolve and encouraging the public to keep an vigilant eye out for Lori Paige and "help us bring her home." Amid the widespread search, Lori's specific connection to Tallahassee, Tampa, Thomasville, and Nashville may provide helpful clues about her potential whereabouts, clues that the authorities are desperate to piece together into a hopeful recovery.
The case is made particularly challenging due to Paige's absence from social media, leaving no digital footprint for investigators to follow. Nevertheless, teachers like Margaret Summers, who taught Paige and considers the length of her disappearance discouraging, refuse to give up hope. "It’s been too long. But she said the length of time is not a reason to give up," Summers shared via KPTV. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Tallahassee Police Department at (850) 891-4200 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
