Inverness Teen Brooke Harding, 17, Missing Since Thursday, May Be Headed to Marion County

A 17-year-old girl has been missing from Inverness since Thursday evening, and Citrus County deputies believe she may be traveling toward Marion County. Brooke Harding was last seen around 5:30 pm on August 20 wearing a black Def Leppard T-shirt, blue stitch pants, and rainbow Crocs, according to a bulletin posted the following day.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office describes Harding as a white female standing 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 250 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The case has been logged under reference number 26-00008681, with bulletin number 2026-066B, and is being classified as a missing runaway juvenile. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 352-249-2790.

Investigators note that Harding is possibly headed toward Marion County, a detail that carries real weight given the geography involved. Inverness connects directly to Marion County by State Road 200 and U.S. Highway 41, a roughly 25-mile corridor that crosses the Withlacoochee River on its way north toward Ocala, according to AARoads. That route offers a realistic and direct path out of the county for someone traveling on foot, by car, or otherwise.

How Citrus County Handles Missing Juvenile Cases

Missing person investigations in Citrus County are directed by the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit, per WTSP. The unit routinely coordinates with Crime Stoppers of Citrus County to push out public bulletins and gather tips in cases involving missing teenagers, a pattern documented by Ocala-News.com. Tipsters can reach the sheriff's office directly, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888-269-8477 or through www.crimestoppercc.com, with the possibility of a cash reward for information that helps resolve the case.

Under Florida Statute § 937.0201, any missing person under 18 is automatically classified as both a missing child and an endangered person, which guarantees full investigative resources regardless of whether authorities suspect the teen ran away voluntarily, Hoodline previously reported. State law also bars any waiting period before police accept a missing child report, and requires that case details be entered into the Florida Crime Information Center and National Crime Information Center databases within two hours, per PowerDMS's review of Florida Statute § 937.021. Those rules mean Harding's case received immediate statewide visibility despite its runaway classification.

A Pattern of Recent Cases in Citrus County

Harding's disappearance follows a string of similar bulletins issued by Citrus County deputies this month. Earlier in August, the sheriff's office sought help finding 15-year-old Payton Strawn and 16-year-old Levi Kelly, the latter of whom was located safely within 24 hours, Hoodline reported. That track record aligns with national trends: data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shows runaway youth made up 92% of the missing child cases the organization supported in 2025, with law enforcement and partner organizations achieving a 90% overall safe recovery rate, according to the same Hoodline report.

Florida law also creates potential exposure for anyone who might shelter Harding without notifying authorities. Under Florida Statute § 985.731, it is illegal for anyone other than an authorized state agent to knowingly house or shelter an unmarried minor for more than 24 hours without parental consent or a report to law enforcement, according to My Florida Legal's outline of the statute. Statewide, Florida authorities issued 404 missing person alerts in 2024, including 84 Missing Child Alerts and 9 AMBER Alerts, per data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — figures that underscore how formal statewide alerts require specific evidence of imminent danger, a threshold distinct from the bulletin issued for Harding.

For now, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who has seen Harding or knows her whereabouts to come forward. Calls can be directed to the Major Crimes Unit or routed anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Citrus County at www.crimestopperscitrus.com.