
This is Phylicia Barnes, a 16-year-old North Carolina girl who disappeared while visiting her 27-year old step-sister in Baltimore, MD. According to Phylicia’s half-sister Deena Barnes, Phylicia was last seen on December 28 at 2:30 pm when she told her sister she was going shopping.
Anyone who had contact with Phylicia in the hours leading up to her disappearance is considered a person of interest, police said. Phylicia’s sister is of college-age and “she had a lot of friends coming in and out,” police say; which makes the potential suspect pool large and difficult to narrow down.
In the past week, authorities have conducted multiple searches for Phylicia in and around the area of the apartment complex where she was last seen, but so far nothing of interest has been found.
Authorities are now hoping that billboards donated by Clear Channel Communications might help bring some new leads in the case. Billboards, which display Phylicia’s photo and vital information, were put up along Interstate 95 from Baltimore to New York City, police said.
Phylicia is a straight “A” student and is due to graduate early from Union Academy in Monroe, North Carolina.