Acampo church prays for missing teen girl
Youth pastor John Velasquez sat on a stool in Faith Community Church’s sanctuary in Acampo on Wednesday evening, resting his elbow on a table as friends and family gathered to pray for Samantha Roberts, 15, a member of their youth group who has been missing since Sunday.
“I know this isn’t the greatest of circumstances for us to be here. I know there’s a lot of pain, a lot of hurt, a lot of anxiety that comes with something like this. But I know one thing. I know that we serve a God who loves Samantha and I know that prayer works,” Velasquez said. “I want to pray for a miracle tonight: That she’s safe and that she’s found soon.”
Rebecca Turnage, Roberts’ mother, last saw her daughter in their Valley Springs home at approximately 9:30 p.m. Saturday, she said, and woke up the next morning to find the teenager missing with her computer reset to its factory settings.
“All I know is I woke up and she was gone. Her computer had been wiped completely clean,” Turnage said.
Turnage said that her daughter was on track to graduate high school one year and nine months early, and that she had not mentioned meeting anyone new or shown any signs that she was unhappy at home.
“All of her friends said she was fine, everything seemed fine. She’s homeschooled at her own request. She said regular school was too easy for her. She wouldn’t do something like this,” Turnage said.
Roberts was reported missing Monday afternoon, according to a press release from the Calaveras County Sheriff ’s Office, and a backpack and clothing were missing from her room.
Roberts, a white female, is approximately 4-foot-11-inches tall, weighs approximately 165 pounds and has red hair and blue eyes, the press release said, and may have been seen along the Highway 4 corridor from Murphys to east of Arnold.
Roberts had a tablet with a chip that could be tracked, Turnage said, but the chip was disabled sometime Monday. Roberts was also spotted in Big Trees on Tuesday, Turnage said.
“The sheriffs and (park) rangers couldn’t find her. They’re looking for more surveillance footage from San Andreas to Arnold,” Turnage said.
The sheriff’s office had received reports Roberts was seen at approximately 2:12 p.m. Monday at a Shell Gas Station in Murphys, in a newer gray or silver SUV, but the car’s occupants told detectives that Roberts was not with them, according to a post on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page.
Turnage was devastated to learn this, wiping tears from her eyes as she prepared to enter Faith Community Church’s sanctuary to pray for her daughter’s safe return.
“There was a possible sighting in Woodlands. The sheriff is following up and pulling videos,” Turnage said.
Velasquez said he was proud to be Roberts’ youth pastor for years, and that she was always happy and ready to help every week.
“Samantha was very pleasant to be around, always kind to everyone. She was here every week for several years, and I hope she comes back soon. She never had any problems, never caused any drama. Just a kindhearted young lady,” Velasquez said.
People bowed their heads as they took turns praying for Roberts and her family, starting with Velasquez who asked his congregation to turn to God and support the family in their time of need.
“There’s nothing else to do, God. You told us to come to you, God, and that’s what we’re doing. Move through us, Lord,” Velasquez said.
Justin Brodie, a churchgoer from Lodi, gave thanks that Roberts had been blessed with a loving family and with a friendly, intelligent personality.
“Lord, I just ask that You keep her safe, that You keep her in Your arms,” Brodie said.
With tears in her eyes, Turnage gave thanks for her supportive family and
friends, and prayed for her daughter to come home safely.
“I know You love her, Lord, and I know You are there with her right now when I can’t be. Please, bring her home, Lord,” Turnage said.
Velasquez shed a few tears of his own as he listened to his congregation pray for one of their own, wiping his eyes before reassuring everyone that God will protect Roberts until she is found and asking them to continue praying for her and her family once they are reunited.
“Like little children in front of their dad, Father God, we come before you. We’re asking for a miracle. We ask that you boldly go forth and save her, Lord. Wherever she’s at, God, overwhelm her with Your presence. Overwhelm her with Your love,” Velasquez said.
“Continue to pray, continue to lift Samantha and her family up and give them some hugs. They could use some right now.”
Anyone with information about this investigation or the whereabouts of Samantha Roberts is asked to call the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department at 209-754-6500.