The search for missing Texas teen Sharon West has come to an unfortunate end, according to police.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Friday that human remains found in October had been positively identified as those of the 14-year-old girl who had been missing for nearly six months. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office used dental records to identify the remains, police said.
West was last seen alive on July 30, 2011. She had been staying with family friends in Fannett, an unincorporated town about an hour northeast of Houston. Her living arrangements there were temporary while her mom searched for a job.
The young woman's boyfriend, Austin Meaux, last saw her at the residence in the 11100 Block of Gaulding Road at about 2:00 a.m. He said she was awake and was still there when the rest of the family went to sleep.
According to Chuck Foreman, a private investigator based out of Austin assisting the family, West sent a text message to a friend at about 5:20 a.m., saying she was at the Seabreeze Youth Club's soccer field off Highway 365, a couple of miles from where she was staying.
Roughly 40 minutes later, West used her cellphone to contact another friend. She again indicated she was at the soccer field. According to police, the area is a popular hangout area for young people. West did not contact any other friends after that and her cellphone died shortly thereafter.
PHOTOS OF SHARON WEST: (Article Continues Below)
What happened to Sharon West after those messages remains a mystery. Both police and volunteers searched the soccer field several times without finding anything of interest.
West's remains were found on Oct. 28, 2011, in a field off Highway 365, not far from the soccer field.
"She was found less than three-quarters of a mile from her last known location," Foreman said. "A rancher found her. Her [remains] were scattered across the property."
Police found pajama boxer shorts and glasses with the remains. West's mother identified them as items belonging to her daughter. It remains unclear if police have located West's missing cellphone.West's mother, Sandra West, told The Huffington Post in September that she was upset that the sheriff's department did not issue an Amber Alert when her daughter was first reported missing.
"They said her case didn't meet the criteria," West said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office did not return a call seeking comment in September. A call today was not returned.
Authorities are awaiting the results of West's autopsy, as well as the results from toxicology tests.
According to Foreman, Sandra West "is having an extremely difficult time with" her daughter's death.
Despite her grief, Sandra West recently posted a message for others on her Facebook page:
"Remember to tell the people you love that you love them. Don't put it off till tomorrow because they may just need to hear it today, Don't take for granted that people you love will be there tomorrow," she wrote.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Beaumont Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS, or the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 409-835-8411.
I must say to all the people who made negative comments regarding the Mom. It is horrible to make judgements and comments blaming this Mother. She is tourtured enough by her loss. Nobody knows this womans circumstances. Although there have been many Sick Parents out there who have done terrible things to their children including neglect, there is no evidence that this woman was not looking out for her daughters best interest.
Anyway, this is just a sad story. Teenagers sneak out for lots of reasons - a little bit of rebellion, entertainment, fighting boredom - it just happened to end in tragedy for this girl.
I used to go out at 5:20 a.m. because I was awake. It's kind of nice, especially in Texas, when July gets hot so fast.
I have a daughter who was uncontrollable at 14; diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder takes time. She was herself again a few years later, and my blood still runs cold when I think of the risks she took....the ones that could have resulted in this ending. Her dad and I tried everything, but still...
How about you go look in the mirror and think about how much better you are than this girl's heartsick mother. Then go look back at the news articles from July, and read what the mother said. Then you can look down your nose at her again, and feel great about yourself.
I don't think you have kids. I hope not.
old daughter live with a boyfriend. She should be charged with neglect
your comment is ignorant.
that? She had no authority figure watching after her remember she is a 14 year old CHILD! She'snot an adult, she was out at 2 am because she didn't have an adult there to tell her
she couldn't be out at 2am. Noone cared where she was or what she did, not even her
mom. When you dont discipline your kids and you let them do whatever they want, which is seems to be the case here, then bad thing happen to them.