Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Family search for teen daughter missing for a week after school drop-off

Kate Mathews, 15, has not been seen since her father dropped her off at Anderson High School in Austin

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Thursday 21 December 2023 21:01 GMT
Comments
Austin ISD teen goes missing

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Texas family is searching for their teen daughter who went missing after school drop-off one week ago.

Kate Mathews, 15, has not been seen since her father dropped her off at Anderson High School in Austin on 14 December.

Police in the city say that at this point the youngster has been classified as a runaway and not a missing person, reported Fox 7 Austin.

“It wasn’t until that afternoon when I came to pick her up that she did not come out of school,” said Kate’s father, Chase Mathews.

“I then went inside, and they told me she had not been to class all day.”

The teenager is described as being 5ft4 in height and weighing 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Kate Mathews, 15, has not been seen since her father dropped her off at Anderson High School in Austin on 14 December.
Kate Mathews, 15, has not been seen since her father dropped her off at Anderson High School in Austin on 14 December. (FOX7)

The family believes that their daughter may be with her boyfriend, and has worked with multiple law enforcement agencies and a private investigator to try and locate her.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare,” said Kate’s mother, Maxine Barney. “It’s been heart-wrenching for all of our family. It’s literally hurting our family. And we just want our child back.”

Anyone with information can contact APD at 512-974-2000.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in