Parents of missing Appalachian State student Anna Smith plead for help
BOONE, NC (WTVD) -- Volunteers from Forsyth County are joining in the search for an Appalachian State University student who has been missing for a week.
The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/1rWT5sb) volunteers from Kernersville were preparing to walk along the Mountains to Sea Trail, a 900-mile route of footpaths beginning in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to look for Anna Marie Smith. The 18-year-old freshman from High Point was last seen on the campus in Boone on Sept. 3.
A sweep of wooded areas near the hilly Boone campus and elsewhere in Watauga County has failed to produce a trace of the woman.
Anna Smith's parents made a statement to news media outlets Wednesday.
"I want our daughter back so we can see her beautiful face in the morning and in the evening," said Anna Smith's father, Dan Smith. "We want our Anna back home. Please help us bring Anna back home safely."
"We need our Anna home," said Laurie Smith, Anna Smith's mother. "She makes our hearts whole and without her we are lost. She is a vital part of our lives and the community. Someone somewhere knows something and can help us bring Anna home safely."
Dana McKim said Smith had gone to her home in High Point during a portion of Labor Day weekend and told her parents she had been assaulted off campus.
"She was very distraught and provided little detail," said McKim. "We weren't going to reveal this information to the public but decided to after learning it had been posted on Facebook."
McKim said Anna Smith returned to campus sometime Aug. 31.
Investigators said Anna Smith was reportedly last seen the night before in her dorm, as well as on a campus transportation service called Safe Ride.
"Anna doesn't have a car, she didn't take her cellphone and she has no financial means," said McKim. "This is very out of characteristic for her."
"Please help us bring Anna home," said her father. "Someone out there knows something. Please."
The Associated Press and WSOC-TV contributed to this report.
