Madison County authorities are in an active search for 16-year-old Lilly Watkins after issuing an endangered person advisory. Deputies say Lilly is believed to be with her biological mother, who does not have custody. The teen was reported missing Sunday night and was last seen around 8:25 p.m. in the 1800 block of Madison County Road 504 outside Fredericktown. Officials are urging anyone who spots Lilly or her mother to contact law enforcement immediately.
According to the advisory, Lilly is about 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds with blonde hair, green eyes and glasses. She was last seen wearing a gray cross-country sweatshirt with "2019" and a map on the back, blue jeans and brown Hey Dude shoes. Those details were released in the sheriff's advisory, according to KSDK.
Sheriff's deputies say Lilly is believed to be with her biological mother, 37-year-old Jessica Watkins. Jessica does not have custody. She is described as about 4-foot-11 and roughly 120 pounds with blue eyes. The detail about her lacking custody was included in the advisory, as reported by KFVS.
Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office. County contact listings put the sheriff's administrative line at (573) 783-2234 and the county E-911 number at (573) 783-2192. Law enforcement is requesting any sightings, vehicle descriptions or other details that could help locate the pair, per Madison County.
Endangered Advisory And Legal Context
The Missouri State Highway Patrol runs the state's Missing Persons clearinghouse and supports endangered person advisories so local agencies can push out photos and bulletins quickly. State law also makes it a potential crime for a parent to remove or hide a child without lawful custody or good cause, and parental kidnapping penalties increase the longer a child is kept from the legal custodian, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Revisor of Missouri.
Investigators continue to search, and the sheriff's office has not released additional information about where Lilly and her mother might be headed. The endangered person advisory was first reported by KSDK and later picked up by other outlets. Anyone with tips is urged to call the Madison County Sheriff's Office or their local police.
