Police seek help finding missing Utah teen, say she has ‘ties’ to other states

Trevor Myers
·2 min read

UINTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help from the public in the search for a missing or runaway 16-year-old who was last seen on Feb. 27.

Ashbey Eckinger was last seen around 8:30 p.m. near Jensen, Utah, on Feb. 27, 2024, according to a post from March 6 on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. She was discovered missing the next morning, on February 28.

  • Officials are looking for 16-year-old Ashbey Eckinger. She is said to be about 5'7" tall, weigh around 150 pounds and have brown hair and brown eyes. However, officials said she may have dyed her hair black. (Courtesy Uintah County Sheriff's Office)
    Officials are looking for 16-year-old Ashbey Eckinger. She is said to be about 5’7″ tall, weigh around 150 pounds and have brown hair and brown eyes. However, officials said she may have dyed her hair black. (Courtesy Uintah County Sheriff’s Office)
  • Officials are looking for 16-year-old Ashbey Eckinger. She is said to be about 5'7" tall, weigh around 150 pounds and have brown hair and brown eyes. However, officials said she may have dyed her hair black. (Courtesy Uintah County Sheriff's Office)
    Officials are looking for 16-year-old Ashbey Eckinger. She is said to be about 5’7″ tall, weigh around 150 pounds and have brown hair and brown eyes. However, officials said she may have dyed her hair black. (Courtesy Uintah County Sheriff’s Office)

LEARN MORE: What should you do if someone goes missing?

Ashbey is said to be about 5’7″ tall, weigh around 150 pounds and have brown hair and brown eyes. However, officials said she may have dyed her hair black.

“Ashbey has ties to Colorado, Texas, and South Carolina,” officials wrote on social media. “She was also interested in reuniting with her mother whom she believed to be in Mexico.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office at 435-789-2511 or call Central Dispatch at 435-789-4222.

What to do when speaking to law enforcement

More than 600,000 people go missing each year in the United States, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind if someone you know goes missing.

Utah officials suggest taking notes on interactions with law enforcement to keep track of details such as officer names, dates and times of interactions, the case number and what the officers say.

When working with local law enforcement to report a missing person, it is recommended one shares as much information as possible about the missing person, including but not limited to:

  • Full name or nicknames.

  • Recent photos.

  • Date of birth and age at the time they disappeared.

  • Gender/sex.

  • Detailed physical description (including unique scars or tattoos).

  • Date of disappearance.

  • Medical conditions.

  • Last known location.

  • Social media accounts.

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