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(NewsNation) — The car of 17-year-old missing Brissa Romero was pulled from a retention pond, police said in a press conference Monday.
The family of Romero, who was last seen on Dec. 4, is urgently seeking assistance in locating her.
Her car, a gray 2008 Nissan Rogue with a bumper sticker of a black coyote was badly damaged, according to the Carpentersville Police Department.
Authorities say a review of Romero’s cellphone data brought investigators to a retention pond in Vernon Hills and while on the scene, a resident in the area notified officers about a backpack that appeared to have floated to the edge of the pond near Lakeview Parkway & Executive Way.
Police say they believed the items belonged to Romero and crews were brought in to conduct a search. Authorities say that based on the condition of the vehicle, it appears Romero was inside the vehicle when it crashed into the pond.
Officers say they found additional surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant that recorded Romero parking her vehicle and entering the restaurant by herself before leaving, only 15 minutes before her last registered phone ping in the area of the pond.
Authorities say Romero’s body has not been found and crews will continue to search the pond and investigate the teen’s disappearance.
From Carpentersville, Illinois, Brissa is 5 feet tall, weighs approximately 115 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.
Believed to have been near Bowlero at 316 Center Drive in Vernon Hills, Illinois, attending a work party, Brissa’s whereabouts have been unknown since her last contact with family. She spent time with a cousin in Des Plaines before the event, and her family has been in the dark ever since.
She was last seen wearing a green long-sleeve shirt, black vest, black ripped jeans, and short black boots, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Romero’s family is now offering a $14,000 reward for information that leads to her return, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
A recent graduate of Barrington High School, Brissa is the youngest among five siblings and an outstanding student who completed high school a year ahead of schedule, her family said.
Currently pursuing her dream of becoming an ultrasound technician at Harper College in Palatine, her family is desperate for any information that could help bring her home safely.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Webb with the Carpentersville Police Department at 847-551-3481 or may contact QuadCom Dispatch at 847-4288784.
NewsNation’s affiliate WGN contributed to this report.
