UPDATE (April 23, 2014 6:30 a.m.)
Kelsey’s mother, Megan Essex, issued the following statement to the Post Wednesday morning:
“Kelsey is home safe. We appreciate all of the prayers and support that we have received during this difficult time and would like to ask everyone to continue praying so we can all heal and move forward!! We respectfully ask for privacy while dealing with this matter and thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. I am certain that it was everyone’s prayers that kept Kelsey safe and that led her to reach out and come home! God is good! Feeling blessed.”
The Cozad Police Department has not commented on the case.
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UPDATE (April 22, 2014 6:30 p.m.)
According to a Facebook post by Kelsey’s mother, “Kelsey is safe, we will update more later, thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I will let everyone know when I see her with my own two eyes. God bless.”
We will update this story with additional details as they become available.
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Family members are asking for help in finding a Cozad teen who has been missing for a week.
According to family members, Kelsey Newburn, who also goes by Kelsey Kerkow and Kelsey Essex, was last seen when she left Cozad High School on Monday, April 14, with her boyfriend and an unknown male.
Kelsey’s boyfriend, who is from Aurora, claims that Kelsey left with someone he doesn’t know, and has stated that he has no idea where she went.
Kelsey’s mother said the boyfriend has not been very forthcoming with information with them or the Cozad Police Department.
Kelsey is 17-years-old with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5’6”, weighs approximately 150 pounds, and was last seen wearing dark blue sweatpants, flip flops, a camo coat and glasses.
Cozad Police have classified Kelsey as an endangered runaway and say she may be in the Central City, Grand Island or Aurora area.
If you have any information on Kelsey’s whereabouts, please contact the Cozad Police Department at 308-784-2366, or her mother through Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/meganessex.