Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Franklin Student, 17, Found Safe in Coventry, RI

Brittany Thompson, 17, was reported missing Monday afternoon. Police later learned from surveillance video that she left the Medfield Public Library with an as-yet unidentified man.

Updated: Medfield police announced Thursday morning that Brittany Thompson, 17, has been found safe and unharmed in Coventry, RI.

Original post:

Medfield Police and the parents of a 17-year-old town girl missing since Monday afternoon appealed for public help Wednesday for any information that could lead to her location.

The teen, Brittany Thompson, is a student in Franklin at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin.

Thompson was last seen about 4:30 p.m. leaving the Medfield Public Library with an as-yet unidentified man. The man, who appears on video camera footage in the library, walked up to Thompson. They had a brief conversation, then left together, according to Medfield Police Chief Robert Meaney.

Although, at 17, Thompson is legally an adult, Meaney said, her family and police have concerns that because of developmental issues she may not fully understand the consequences of her actions. 

She is developmentally younger than her age, said her parents, who attended the press conference and spoke to media about their daughter. She did not have a cell phone, and has had limited access to the internet, the police chief said.

While police do not think she was abducted, it is out of character for her to not return home, he said.

"She may have gotten herself into a situation, and not known the consequences," the police chief said.

It is not clear how or whether they knew each other, but police are operating under the assumption that they may have met online, Meaney said, and agreed to meet at the library. Police are continuing to examine the teen's Facebook account as part of their investigation.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon outside the Medfield Police headquarters, Meaney said police are looking for information from anyone who may have seen Brittany and the man in the library, or leaving. "Even a tiny speck you don't think is anything. You never know."

Brittany's parents also both spoke, conveying a message to their daughter they hope she may see on television news reports. "We're anxious to have you home," said Michael Thompson, her father. "We love you. We want you back."

The Thompsons said they have not had any contact with their daughter since Monday.

Maureen Thompson described her daughter as a loving, trusting 17-year-old. Brittany is a student at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin, and was in school on Monday. Her mother reported her missing late Monday afternoon, after she went to the Medfield library to pick her up, at 5 p.m., and discovered her daughter was not there.

Brittany has brown hair, a full set of braces on her teeth, and weighs about 140 pounds. The man she was seen leaving the library with is estimated to be in his late 20s to early 30s the police chief said. Police have had several tips about his possible identity, but so far have ruled them out, he said at the press conference.

By later afternoon, the chief indicated he had several officers working the case, assisted by Massachusetts State Police. The investigation is being considered a missing persons case at this time.

Medfield Police reported the case to Mass Most Wanted on Tuesday, when Thompson failed to return home. 

Anyone with information should contact Massachusetts State Police at 508-820-2121.


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