BCSO urges missing teen Emily Paul to reach out

PANAMA CITY — A week after missing Southport teen Emily Wynell Paul reportedly broke her five-year silence with a letter to her parents, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office is hoping to confirm that Paul is safe.

Captain Jason Daffin, head of the Criminal Investigative Division at BCSO, posted a video to Facebook Thursday morning explaining that the Sheriff’s Office investigation intends only to make sure Paul is safe and where she wants to be before urging the teenager to contact him.

“Our investigation is for no other purpose than to make sure you're safe, that you are where you want to be and at your own free will,” said Daffin.

More than five-years ago, Paul packed a suitcase and walked away from her Southport home in April 2013, leaving behind only a note stating her intention to run away. Investigators believe the then-14-year-old took to the internet to learn how to successfully disappear. Her cell phone has not been used since shortly after her disappearance and her Facebook account has laid dormant.

Paul’s mother, Pam Massimiani, revealed on Facebook last week that she’d received a letter from her now-19-year-old daughter, though she stated she intends to keep the contents of that letter private for now. Daffin, in his video, reiterated that desire for privacy, saying that, as a law enforcement officer, he would not reveal Paul’s location should she reach out to him.

“That’s nobody else’s business,” he said. “That’s your privacy. You’re an adult.”

Daffin closed the video by saying there are people in the community who care about her, who have followed her story and who want to know that she is safe. He instructed Paul to call the sheriff's office at 850-747-5700, tell the person who answers the phone who she is and to ask for Capt. Jason Daffin.

“I just pray that you get this message and I pray you take that first step, pick up the phone and please call me,” Daffin said.