Off The Record

Teen Who Was Missing For 2 Months Found With 44-Year-Old Fiancé Sparks Legal Debate

Published on July 25, 2024

Penelope “Penny” Wise, 17, has been located. She went missing in May of last year.

The teenager had moved in with a 44-year-old man from Rockford, Michigan, in Kent County, Michigan, USA. It is said that Penny proposed to him immediately after meeting him.

Right now, her parents are longing to get back together.

Penny’s mother, Mishael Wise, posted on the Bring Penelope Wise Home Facebook page on Sunday, July 21, informing her followers that her daughter had been “found safe.”

According to investigators, Penny spent the most of her time away from home, living in Rockford with the man, who was more than twice her age, Fox 17 reported on Monday, July 22.

Mishael told Fox 17: “We’re happy that she’s been found. It’s sad that we can’t see her yet… the kids themselves have a lot of mixed emotions right now.”

17-year-old Penelope “Penny” Wise, who has been missing since last May, has been found

The relieved mother posted on Facebook that Penny remained in police custody since she was now the subject of an ongoing investigation and could not yet be reunited with her family.

“We are thankful she’s been found,” Mishael wrote. “She’s alive and ok.”

According to Fox 17, investigators responded to a neighbor’s call and arrived at the scene around 11 a.m. on Sunday.

The teen from Kent County, Michigan, USA, had moved in with a 44-year-old man from Rockford, Michigan

According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was riding a bicycle when a “community member” noticed him and contacted 911.

On May 31, 2024, the recently discovered girl is said to have freely left her family home. On June 1, at midnight, she was previously seen on a security camera outside a bar in the downtown area.

Investigators recently informed the local media that Penny had met the older man on June 1 at around two in the morning.

Penny reportedly got engaged just after meeting the 44-year-old

According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, “He was a stranger.” “From June 1, 2024, until yesterday, Penny resided with the man in his Rockford home.”

Investigators also said that they believed Penny and the man had become “engaged,” as Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir said: “They were actively trying to conceal her identity and location from us.”

According to Fox 17, the man is unlikely to be charged with a crime, even if detectives think he was assisting Penny in eluding the law and her family.

Undersheriff Muir said: “Right now, and [at] this point in the investigation, there is no criminal charges.”

“Even for him not working with us and letting [us] know where Penny was located, we don’t have any criminal charges.”

“We looked at a bunch of charges, there’s just nothing that covers this,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker explained.

The prosecutor told Fox 17 that his agency considered filing charges for things like sheltering a runaway or assisting a juvenile in becoming delinquent.

However, it seems that these charges can only be brought against victims who are 16 years of age or younger.

“She should’ve reached out to someone to let them know she was ok,” a reader commented.