In this undated photo provided by the Aure family, Azlea Aure, a teenager who went missing in Kaiserslautern on Friday, June 2, 2023, is seen during a JROTC awards ceremony. German authorities have launched an intensive search operation to locate her. (Facebook)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — German authorities are intensifying efforts to locate 16-year-old Azlea Aure, who went missing from her residence in Weilerbach, Westpfalz police said in a statement Saturday.
Aure was last seen Friday, June 2, as she left her family home on her way to Kaiserslautern High School, police said.
Despite extensive investigation, including the deployment of a police helicopter, a drone and search dogs, all attempts to locate her have thus far been unsuccessful, police said.
Aure, a member of the Air Force JROTC, is described as approximately 5 feet tall, with a slim build. She has short hair and was possibly wearing a red sweater and blue jeans.
In a plea for assistance, Julie Aure, Azlea’s mother, took to a local military spouse network group on Facebook, asking the community to be vigilant and help in any way possible.
Julie Aure shared an update indicating that the last potential sighting of Aure was at Legends Bar near Ramstein on Friday evening at around 7 p.m. Here, she was reportedly seen in the company of an Asian couple and a black woman with long black hair. All three were described as being in their mid 40s.
A recent photograph of Azlea Aure, provided by Westpfalz police, shows the 16-year-old during a family outing. The teenager’s whereabouts remain unknown, and efforts are underway to ensure her safe return. (Westpfalz police)
Additionally, a couple of younger teenagers may have been present, her mother said in the post.
In a subsequent update post to social media, Julie Aure revealed that a log-in attempt to Azlea’s Apple ID account was made near Stuttgart at approximately 5 p.m., Saturday.
“Stuttgart people please be on the lookout as well,” she wrote Saturday evening.
German police then were able to trace activity on Azlea’s cell phone in the vicinity of Weilerbach but were unable to ascertain her exact location, Julie wrote early Sunday.
Under German law, minors are not allowed to determine their own whereabouts themselves and are generally always assumed to be at risk when reported missing, triggering a near immediate manhunt.
Reportedly 200 to 300 missing persons searches are recorded every day in Germany, and nearly about the same number are deleted each day because the person is subsequently found, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police says in a factsheet online.
About half of all missing persons in the country are children and young people. In 2022 alone, a total of around 76,700 young people were missing for some time in Germany.
Police data, however, shows German children rarely go missing for long. Federal criminal police says that around 50% of missing persons cases are resolved within the first week and over 97% of cases of missing young person cases are solved each year.
“Please keep your eyes peeled,” Julie said. “We appreciate all the help.”
The Kaiserslautern Criminal Investigation Department asks for tips to be submitted via 0631 369-2620 or at any police station.
riedel.alexander@stripes.com Twitter: @lexRiedel
