CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — Kent County deputies said 17-year-old Penelope Wise, who has been missing from her home since May 31, was last seen in Rockford on June 1.
Deputies said Penelope was spotted on camera walking near the Corner Bar in Rockford around midnight on June 1. She has not been seen since then.
Penelope went missing around 6 p.m. on May 31 from her home in Cedar Springs. She left her home on foot and security footage was recovered that shows her walking on Rockford Park Drive, about five miles away from her home, later that evening.
Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir has been on the case since Penelope's disappearance. Now on week five, he said he's looking for the community's help.
"We have 750 plus people at the sheriff's office, but obviously, right here in Kent County alone, we have 680,000 people that can be our eyes and ears for a case like this," Muir said. "If you look past just the Kent County area into the local region, we just feel that there's more people out there that may have information than what our resources can find."
"We still don't have any information as to where Penny is, and we wanted to make sure that the community is aware that we're still looking for her daily," Muir added. "We're partnering with our local and federal law enforcement partners, trying to use any technology or equipment that we have to locate her, but we really need the community's help right now."
Muir said that help from community members could come in many forms- be it checking personal property or doorbell and security cameras.
"Even though it may seem like a small tip or insignificant or you think we already have that information, the smallest tip could lead to the investigation, locating where Penny is at right now," Muir said.
Even those living outside Rockford, Muir said, should check.
"We're really exhausting our resources to search that last known area," Muir said. "We believe it's a chance that she could be further away from where we're dedicating our search to right now."
Penelope's parents said she was not allowed to have a phone, but they found one she had been hiding before she went missing.
Her parents said Penelope also struggles with her mental health, and that while she has left home on her own before it has never been for more than a few hours.
"We want her to know that we love her, we care for her," said her mother, Mishael Wise. "Our number one priority is we want to know she's safe. We need for her to reach out to somebody."
Muir said as days pass, concerns start to grow about Penelope's safety. Muir said that doesn't mean the department is going to pull back from search efforts- rather, the opposite.
"We're all very nervous as to where Penny's at right now. And anytime you don't have contact with a loved one for over five weeks, you're going to be concerned," Muir said. "We don't have any information that this is anything other than a walk away. But as time grows and the distance grows from an initial disappearance and the last time she was seen, we want to make sure that we're communicating directly with the community. We're talking to the family, and we're asking for any help that we can get, because we would like to closure to the case as soon as possible."
Silent Observer is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that helps detectives find Penelope.
"We're going to work this case just as if it was a the newest case that we got. We're dedicating resources to it, and we're not taking those resources off until we can find where Penny's at," Muir said.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office does not currently suspect any foul play and said she left on her own accord.
If you have information that could lead detectives to Penny's location and safe return, contact the Kent County Sheriff's Office at 616-632-6125 until 5 p.m. and 616-632-6100 after 5 p.m.
You can also submit your tip anonymously through Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 or www.silentobserver.org to be eligible for the reward and to remain anonymous.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office has also opened up a tip line for any evidence on Penelope's whereabouts.
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