A Liberty teen has been missing for nearly a month, and her mother fears foul play

A Liberty teen has been missing for nearly a month, and her mother believes she’s been harmed.

“There’s some kind of foul play,” said Patricia Tam. “Whether it’s the worst-case scenario or (someone) trying to sell her.”

The family last heard from 18-year-old Desirea Ferris on May 1. Ferris told her sister that she was headed to a friend’s house, but she never arrived.

Ferris made a call at 2:06 a.m., a text to the same number at 5:14 a.m. And her last Facebook activity came at 3 a.m. May 2. Then all communication stopped. Her phone has been turned off.

“Four weeks she’s been gone. It’s like she dropped off the face of the earth,” Tam said. “When she left, all she had was the clothes she was wearing and her purse and phone.”

Tam is concerned a group her daughter had been fraternizing with may be involved.

Investigators continue tracking down leads, according to Capt. Andy Hedrick with the Liberty Police Department.

“There’s something really wrong here,” he said.

Tam said the family hired a private investigator, conducted searches and distributed fliers.

“No parent or person in general should ever have to go through this and feel this kind of pain,” Tam said. “The not knowing is the worst part. I barely eat. I barely sleep.”

Leads have directed investigators to Kansas City, Hedrick said.

“We need help from anybody who has information,” he said.

Ferris is 5 feet, 1 inch, 101 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She may be wearing a fuzzy pink jacket and a cream crop top. She was last known to have a tan purse.

Detective Kevin Boehm, who coordinates the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers program, said eight tips have been received since Ferris’ disappearance, the most recent coming May 27.

“Any piece of information certainly would be helpful at this point,” Boehm said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Liberty police at 816-439-4701 or the TIPS Hotline to submit an anonymous tip: 816-474-8477.

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "A Liberty teen has been missing for nearly a month, and her mother fears foul play."