Parents reportedly receive ransom notes amid search for missing 12-year-old

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (TCN) -- A missing boy's family reportedly started receiving ransom requests after they went on social media and asked the public to assist in finding the 12-year-old, who police believe has been abducted.

Juan Sebastian Mejia Acevedo was reportedly last seen by his parents at around 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 24. His parents believed he was at a friend's house, and they became concerned when he did not return home. Acevedo's family contacted the Virginia Beach Police Department on Jan. 24 at approximately 9 p.m. to report him missing. They recorded themselves on Facebook Live and urged their family and friends to help search for him, but soon after that, they reportedly began receiving "ransom requests" on WhatsApp.

Those messages led the Virginia Beach Police Department to treat Acevedo's disappearance as an abduction.

Virginia Beach Police is working with federal partners and searching the area via air and ground. Police are not considering this a recovery mission yet, but they have deployed marine patrol units to search lakes and ponds out of caution. They also confirmed with ICE that Acevedo is not in their custody.

Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert Saturday, Jan. 25, and classified him as being in "extreme danger."

Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said, "We are doing everything we can to locate Juan and return him safely to his family. The community’s help is crucial, and we urge anyone who has seen or heard anything to contact us right away."

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