FROM CHIEF P.K. JOHNSON
MILLBROOK POLICE DEPARTMENT
On February 6, 2022, Jolee Kent, a 16-year-old Deatsville resident, was reported as missing by her parents. Kent’s parents advised Millbrook police that Kent was last seen on February 5, 2022, at 10 p.m., prior to going to bed. The following morning the parents noticed that their daughter was not in the residence and nowhere to be found. Millbrook Police were notified and the juvenile was reported as missing.
On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, detectives from the Millbrook Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit were able to locate Jolee Kent at residence in the Deatsville area. She was in good health when officers located her. The juvenile was transported to the Millbrook Police Department and her parents were notified that she had been located and was in good health. At this time, it appears that the juvenile left her residence of her own volition. The circumstances of this case remain under investigation.
We are extremely pleased to announce that this young lady has been located in good health and that she’ll be reunited with her family. I’m sure they are relieved to know that she’s safe, especially after not knowing her whereabouts, if she was safe, or who she may be with. As both a parent and a grandparent, I understand that our biggest concern is the safety and security of your family, especially your children. Unfortunately, we live in a world where there are people that take advantage of our children. All too often, we see where teenagers go missing and are never found or when they are something terrible has happened to them. Thankfully, that’s not the outcome in this case.
While I’m limited in what I can comment on due to this case involving a juvenile, I will say this, while social media can be a useful tool for law enforcement, the media and people desiring to communicate situations such as this situation, it also allows for people to communicate rumors, negative comments, and spread false information, which causes parents unnecessary anxiety and stress, as well as waste precious time and resources from law enforcement agencies attempting to investigate and locate missing persons in cases like this.
I want to commend our detectives and officers that have diligently worked countless man-hours over the course of the last nine days since this young lady was reported as missing. They’ve knocked on doors, spoken to family members, friends, acquaintances and chased down countless leads, which finally led to her location. I don’t think any of our detectives ate supper with their family or got home at a decent hour since this case was assigned to them.
I want to thank the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Special Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in this case. The partnerships that we have with our law enforcement partners, Crime Stoppers and the news media are extremely valuable and much appreciated in cases like this. Everyone involved did a Great Job!
