The parents of a missing 17-year-old Ohio girl are pleading for their daughter's safe return/Abigail "Abbi" Obermiller was believed to be with boyfriend, Robert "Bobby" Young/Young arrested - will not talk - ABBI FOUND ALIVE!!!

Michelle Ruiz Contributor
AOL News

(June 27) -- The parents of a missing 17-year-old Ohio girl are pleading for their daughter's safe return, telling the media they believe her 21-year-old boyfriend is connected to her June 7 disappearance.

Authorities say Abigail "Abbi" Obermiller vanished from her grandmother's home in Hurton County, Ohio, after exchanging text messages with her boyfriend of nearly a year, Robert "Bobby" Young, who has pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice charges in connection with the case.

"It's clear he [Young] sent her text messages of when to leave the house and was aware of who was picking her up," Norwalk Police Sgt. Jim Fulton told Cleveland's WJW-TV.

Young denies he had any involvement in Abbi's disappearance, but authorities and her parents suspect otherwise.

"She was upset because we didn't like her boyfriend," Abbi's mother, Rose Obermiller, told Fox News. "I think they just made up their mind to get together and leave."

Authorities said they believed the couple was planning to go to West Virginia and get married, but according to reports, Obermiller's family believes that she is being held against her will by her boyfriend's family in Detroit or Toledo, Ohio.

Police said they have not issued an Amber Alert because they do not believe Abbi was abducted.

"She left a note behind. It was hidden in a notebook. It indicates she left willingly because of her family situation," Fulton told WJW of Abbi, who was sparring with her parents over her relationship and went to stay with her grandmother after the school year ended.

The police investigation continues to focus on Young, who is expected to appear in court on July 7.

"We're trying to rule out foul play, and at this point we can't," Norfolk police chief Dave Light told the Sandusky Register newspaper.

Obermiller described her daughter's boyfriend as "very possessive" and "controlling."

"He didn't even want her near her friends during prom," she told Fox News. "She had this beautiful prom dress and she had to sit on the sidelines."

An honor student and aspiring oncologist, Abbi displayed uncharacteristic behavior in the run-up to her disappearance, according to her father, James Obermiller.

"It's not like her to do this," he told the Register. "Not calling ... I'm not understanding that. At least call and let us know she's safe."

Young recently backed out of a planned polygraph test, but allowed police to search the home he shares with his sister, Fox News reported.


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Ohio Teen Abigail Obermiller Missing, 20-Year-Old Boyfriend Arrested for Not Talking to Police
Posted by Caroline Black

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Abigail Obermiller who goes by "Abbi" was last seen midnight Sunday, June 6, in North Fairfield, Ohio.
The 17-year-old is believed to be in danger because she went missing while she was with her 20-year-old boyfriend Robert J. "Bobby" Young, reports The Norwalk Reflector.

Police have Young in custody; however, Young is refusing to provide any information regarding Obermiller's whereabouts, and has been arrested and charged with obstructing official business, says the newspaper.

Young, who posted bail and was released, agreed to take a polygraph test, but decided to back out after consulting a lawyer.

Police Chief Dave Light told the Sandusky Register, "We're trying to rule out foul play, and at this point we can't."

Authorities told WRC-TV that the couple was planning to go to West Virginia and get married, but Obermiller's family believes they never made it there, and that she is being held against her will by her boyfriend's family in Detroit or Toledo.

"It's not like her to do this," her father Jim Obermiller told The Norwalk Reflector. "Not calling ... I'm not understanding that. At least call and let us know she's safe."

Abigail is 5'10" and weighs 120 pounds. She has blue eyes and long, curly brown hair. The 17-year-old also has a mole in the center of her chest and often wears a gold necklace with an "A" and a small string of diamonds, says WRC.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts should contact Norwalk, Ohio police at 419-663-6780.

More pics here.
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Monday June 28, 2010

Ohio police are looking for a 17-year-old missing straight-A student with no history of behavioral problems who reportedly was in a relationship with a "very possessive" 21-year-old boyfriend. The boyfriend, Robert "Bobby" Young, has been charged with obstruction of justice in the disappearance of Abigail "Abbi" Obermiller.
Abbi was last seen Sunday, June 7, at her grandmother's home about 10 miles from her parents' home in Norwalk, Ohio.

"We're trying to rule out foul play, and at this point we can't," Police Chief Dave Light told reporters.

Abbi's family believes that she and Young were planning to go to West Virginia to get married, but they never made it there. They think Abbi is being held against her will by relatives of Young in either Detroit or Toledo.

Text Messages Before She Left

Police agree that Abbi left her grandmother's house willingly and that she received several text messages from Young prior to leaving around midnight.

"It's clear he [boyfriend] sent her text messages of when to leave the house and was aware of who was picking her up," Norwalk Police Sgt. Jim Fulton said.

Abbi's mother told reporters that Young was "very possessive" and "controlling" and would not even let her talk to her friends at her prom.

"She was upset because we didn't like her boyfriend," Rose Obermiller said. "And I think they just made up their mind to get together and leave."

Young was arrested for refusing to talk to police about Abbi's whereabouts. He posted bail and was released. He reportedly offered to take a polygraph test, but then changed his mind after talking with an attorney.

Authorities have labeled Abbi "endangered," and ask anyone with information to call 419-663-6780.

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I am not sure why, but this case has gotten under my skin. I hope she is alive but this boyfriend is an abusive control freak. This transcript, including her parent's take, is very interesting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventeen-year-old Abbi Obermiller was last seen in her grandma`s home. What happens next to the honor student is unclear, police launching a wide-scale investigation, trying to determine how a beautiful 17-year-old girl could just disappear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She left a note behind that we didn`t initially find. It was hidden in a notebook. There were some problems with the boyfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police calling 20-year-old boyfriend Bobby Young a person of interest. Cops say the boyfriend knows more than he`s telling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do believe that Bobby does know where she`s at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) prior to his disappearance, Young sent Abbi a string of text messages. But Young allegedly claims he had no contact with her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea where she is. I have no idea where to start.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Young now charged with obstruction of justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Number one in her class, a volleyball star, her dream to become a researcher in oncology, to actually find a cure for cancer. That`s who 17-year-old Abbi is.

Straight out to Phil Trexler, reporter with "The Akron Beacon Journal." Phil, what`s happening?

PHIL TREXLER, "AKRON BEACON JOURNAL" (via telephone): Well, unfortunately, Nancy, not a lot is happening in terms of finding Abbi. The beat goes on here. It`s been 21 days now since she`s disappeared. It`s become a case of a runaway child who has spun out of control here. There`s a lot of curious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. She`s not the type of girl who would not call or contact her parents. Her boyfriend, Bobby Young, is acting awfully strange. He`s now charged with obstructing the investigation into her disappearance...

GRACE: Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! Phil Trexler, explain to me what you mean by that? The boyfriend is arrested for obstruction?

TREXLER: Yes, he initially told the police that he had no contact with Abbi, but then lo and behold, there`s text messages there between the two the night that she disappeared. So he`s clearly not cooperating with the police to the extent that they want. He promised to take a polygraph test and backed out of it. This is -- there`s a lot of curious circumstances in this case.

GRACE: To Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer. Ellie, what more can you tell me? I want to hear about the night she disappeared. I understand she is at her grandmother`s home.

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Right.

GRACE: The grandmother sees her as late as midnight there in the home. Nothing`s unusual. Grandma wakes up 6:00 AM, she`s gone! How does that happen?

JOSTAD: Right, Nancy. Well, what police say is that they believe after the grandmother went to bed, Abbi exchanged messages with that boyfriend, that he sent her a message saying something to the effect that she should leave. She said...

GRACE: Whoa! Wait!

JOSTAD: Yes.

GRACE: Wa-wait! Ellie, what do you mean "leave"? Leave the home, leave the relationship? Run away from home?

JOSTAD: Leave the house.

GRACE: (INAUDIBLE) date?

JOSTAD: Leave the house.

GRACE: Leave the house for what, a date or run away from home?

JOSTAD: Well, it`s not really clear. We do know that she had been arguing with her parents, apparently a big part of it about her relationship with this boyfriend. So he tells her leave the house. She writes back in a text message, "Head toward Main Street, right?" He responds, "Right." Now, when police talked to him, he claimed that he hadn`t had any contact with her, which is why he`s now charged with obstruction.

GRACE: Joining me right now is a special guest, in addition to Abbi`s parents, Rose and James Obermiller, Sergeant Jim Fulton. He`s joining us out of Norwalk, Ohio. He`s with the Norwalk Police Department. Sergeant, thank you so much for being with us. This whole scenario is really spine- chilling to mothers and fathers everywhere. When I put my twins to bed at night and a few hours pass, I expect them to be in their bed when I go back and check on them. Between the hours of 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, you don`t expect someone to go missing from their own bed, Sergeant. What do you know? What can you share with us?

SGT. JIM FULTON, NORWALK POLICE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): Well, I don`t think that she left -- that she was abducted. She left, what we believe, as willingly. We base that on the fact that her mother had contact with law enforcement, we know, on the 4th of June. She spoke with an officer about what she could do to get her daughter to come home. The daughter was staying at the grandparents` home, and Mom wanted her to come home.

At that point, she was told that she could file an unruly juvenile report with the sheriff`s department, the (INAUDIBLE) county sheriff`s department here. The officer also talked with Abbi and explained to her that Mom wanted her to come home, that she would have to go home, that she`s 17, she has to abide by the rules of the house and do what her mom says.

GRACE: Well, Sergeant Fulton -- with us, everyone, from Norwalk, Ohio -- missing from her grandmother`s home in the middle of the night is a 17- year-old, in my mind, superstar, number one in her class, a straight A student, a volleyball star. And you hear people joking about, yes, I want to find the cure to cancer. This was this little girl`s dream. She wanted to be a researcher in oncology. How does a girl, a shining star like this, never been in a minute`s trouble, disappear in the middle of the night?

Joining me right now, two very special guests, in addition to Sergeant Jim Fulton -- his staff working `round the clock, trying to find this little girl -- Rose and James Obermiller. This is -- these are Abbi`s parents. Mr. And Mrs. Obermiller, thank you for being with us.

JAMES OBERMILLER, FATHER: Thank you.

ROSE OBERMILLER, MOTHER: Thank you for having us.

GRACE: I just can`t imagine -- as you may know, I have twins. I can`t imagine pouring all my love, all my hopes, my dreams for their happiness into John David and Lucy, and then at 17, Lucy just goes missing. Shut up, Nancy. This is NOT about you! ~Wrap!~

ROSE OBERMILLER: It`s hard. It really is. I mean, it`ll just tear your heart out. Being a parent, you know exactly what I`m talking about. If they get hurt, you know, you`re right there over top of them.

GRACE: You know, Mrs. Obermiller, I kind of take it personally, I kind of resent it when people suggest that she`s some out-of-control teenager because my grandmother helped raise me. I mean, my whole life, we were in and out of my grandmother`s house. We spent the night there all the time. Of course, you wanted her at home. But just because she was staying at her grandmother in no way suggests that this was an out-of- control teenager. You can`t be number one in your class and be out of control.

ROSE OBERMILLER: No, Abbi was very in control. Abbi knew what she wanted to be. You know, she had big plans. She just wanted to, you know, get away from, you know, the country life where we live. She wanted to be in Norwalk with her grandparents and with her nieces and nephews, and they just wanted to go out and have a good time.

But she would still call home and ask, Well, Mom and Dad, can I go out with Bobby tonight and go to the baseball game or something? She was still asking permission to go, you know, with him to go to a baseball game or something. And yes, we would give her permission. She`d call us and let us know when she was leaving and when she was coming home.

GRACE: Hold on. Hold on, Mrs. Obermiller. Elizabeth, please put up the tip line. David, put up the tip line pronto, 419-663-6780. Take a look at Abbi Obermiller, a 17-year-old girl. She`s missing out of Ohio, number one in her class, a volleyball star, got a smile that just lights up a room.

Back to Rose and James Obermiller. When did you first learn that grandmother wakes up 6:00 AM, she`s gone? Ms. Obermiller?

ROSE OBERMILLER: She called right away. My father had gotten into his vehicle and was driving around Norwalk, looking for Abbi.

GRACE: Who was this? Who was this?

ROSE OBERMILLER: My father.

GRACE: OK.

ROSE OBERMILLER: My father. The grandfather.

GRACE: Oh, I can just imagine that, getting in your car and just looking, just blindly going up and down streets, trying to find her.

ROSE OBERMILLER: That`s exactly what he was doing. My husband was in Texas at the time, so I went into Norwalk right away, talked to the police department. They came in, checked out my whole parents` house, double- checked it, and she was nowhere to be found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abbi disappears from her grandma`s house. She hasn`t contacted friends or family since.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to go to bed at night and kiss her good night, and she`s not there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your imagination runs away with you sometimes and you`ve got to fight that back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s only 17 years old and was supposed to gearing up for a fun summer before the start of her senior year of high school. But now honor student Abbi Obermiller is missing and police need your help. Abbi last seen inside her grandma`s home. Police call 20-year- old boyfriend Bobby Young a person of interest and say he`s hampering their investigation, charging him with obstruction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s clear that he sent her text messages as to when to leave the house and was aware of who was picking her up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You had nothing to do with her disappearance?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Cops are -- you know, I`ve been out here every day. I let them search my home voluntarily three times before they came out with a search warrant.

She talked to people, like, in a chat room and, like, on FaceBook and MySpace and stuff. I have no idea whether or not they`ve actually checked into any of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Out to Sergeant Jim Fulton, joining us from Norwalk Police Department. Sergeant, you were telling us about these mysterious text messages that your department is investigating. So the girl, Abbi, the 17-year-old, straight A student, volleyball star, goes missing from her grandmother`s house in the range of just six hours. She was texting back and forth with the boyfriend?

FULTON: Right. I don`t think they`re mysterious. It`s pretty clear that they were carrying on a conversation.

GRACE: Well, what`s mysterious about it to me, Sergeant -- maybe we differ -- is that he is texting her a location to go to and then she`s never seen again. To me, that`s a little mysterious. I also find it mysterious that the boyfriend won`t take a polygraph. Why won`t he take a polygraph, Sergeant?

FULTON: In my opinion, guilty people don`t take polygraphs.

GRACE: Well, you`re preaching to the choir, Sergeant, preaching to the choir!

FULTON: That`s why after obtaining these text messages, when he clearly tells her when to leave the house, and he tells me that he doesn`t know where she`s at or who she`s with, I don`t believe it.

GRACE: What excuse did he give for not taking a poly, Sergeant Jim Fulton?

FULTON: Oh, he said that he would be nervous and afraid. Well, I guess you`d be afraid if you`re lying. He has diabetes. He has heart problems.

GRACE: Did you say diabetes?

FULTON: That`s what he told me.

GRACE: Whoa, wait, wait, wait a minute! Marc Harrold, former police officer, city of Atlanta PD -- diabetes? That doesn`t -- or a heart problem, that doesn`t affect the outcome of a polygraph.

MARC HARROLD, FMR. POLICE OFFICER, ATLANTA: No, I wouldn`t think so. That`s the first time I`ve heard of somebody saying that specifically. I`m not 100 percent sure, but as long as you have a good baseline of when somebody`s telling the truth, you can work from there. I can`t see why those health conditions would have anything to do with it.

GRACE: With me, special guest Sergeant Jim Fulton out of Norwalk, Ohio. Also with us, Abbi`s parents, Rose and James Obermiller.

Out to the lines. Samantha in Kentucky. Hi, Samantha.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know why they don`t claim that they have evidence against him, enough evidence to make him take the polygraph test.

GRACE: Oh, Samantha, Samantha, you know, same thing I`m screaming, but here`s the bottom line. You cannot force somebody in this country to take a polygraph. You cannot force them. Especially if they are the target, even if they`re just a suspect, you cannot force somebody to do anything that would be self-incriminatory. So there`s our answer. Do I think he should take a polygraph? Yes. Do I think they should drag him down and make him take a polygraph? Yes. Can they? No. They can`t even try to make him take a polygraph.

Back to the lines. Out to Nally in Texas. Hi, Nally.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. How are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, can`t they subpoena his phone records and also her phone records? And what about his parents? I mean, if he still lives at home...

GRACE: Absolutely can subpoena the records. You can also get a rush on it. But I imagine that that`s very likely how they found out about the text messages.

Back to Sergeant Jim Fulton. Sergeant, how did you guys uncover the text messages?

FULTON: Well, just as you said there, we did an emergency request through Verizon and got those messages and actually got messages back to the 24th of May that we`ve gone through. So it`s pretty clear that he that evening told her where to go. And he won`t cooperate in the investigation. You see, it also...

GRACE: Do you have the time of that text message, Sergeant?

FULTON: They started shortly after midnight, at 0039, which is 12:39. She asked him how much longer. His response was, They`ll (ph) be in Norwalk in a couple of minutes, and I`ll let you know when to leave. She responded by saying, I`m scared. He replied, It`ll be OK, I love you. Bobby -- or she told Bobby she loved him, too, and that she`s got a really bad headache. At 0045, he sent her a message, Leave now. She responded by saying OK, or "K." And another message at 0046, Leave now. She asked, Go towards Main Street, right? And his response was yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abbi, 5-foot10, 120 pounds, long brown, curly hair, blue eyes and wears contacts. She has pierced ears, a mole in the center of her chest, and often wears a gold necklace with the letter "A" and a small string of diamonds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 17-year-old Ohio girl is missing and her parents are begging for her safe return. Abbi Obermiller is an honor student and her parents say wanted to study to be an oncologist. She hasn`t been seen since late night June 7th. Now, Abbi`s 21-year-old boyfriend is suspected of knowing where she might be. Bobby Young`s his name. He`s pled not guilty to obstruction of justice. He says he`s fully cooperated with police and does not know where she is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Oh, really? Well, then, why did they arrest him for obstruction in the investigation? Why is he refusing to take a polygraph? The boyfriend says it`s because he has diabetes.

I want to go back to the parents of Abbi, Rose and Jim Obermiller joining us. What do we know about this boyfriend? From what I`m gathering, he certainly exerted a lot of influence over her, even telling her what to wear to school.

ROSE OBERMILLER: He was telling her what to wear, not to go to Academic Challenge, not to work dinner theater, not to go to New York with the choir that she had, you know, worked for. He told her, No, don`t go to your friend`s house, and you know, spend the night with your girlfriends. Don`t go to your grandmother`s house. He would tell her, you know...

GRACE: That must have been burned you up!

JIM OBERMILLER: Yes, it did.

ROSE OBERMILLER: Yes.

GRACE: I mean, just hearing it, And I`ve never met Abbi, it`s burning me up. There she`s the one with the straight A record. She`s the one that`s number one in her class, the volleyball star, and he`s telling her not to go to New York with her choir? What choir?

ROSE OBERMILLER: She went to New York with the South Central High School Choir. They sang at the big cathedral there. They went to see "Phantom of the Opera," just a great five or six days that they were in New York and they had a great time.

GRACE: You know, I will never forget in the 10th grade, getting to go to Washington for the first time with 4H. It was the biggest deal ever. And why was he trying to talk her out of going to New York?

ROSE OBERMILLER: He didn`t want her to be around any of her friends or -- he didn`t want his -- he didn`t want Abbi to go visit the grandmother. He didn`t want Abbi to stay at her relatives`, her cousins` house and that. He just -- he wanted her all by himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police desperately searching for beautiful 17- year-old Ohio girl Abbi Obermiller. Abbi`s parents believe her 20-year-old boyfriend, Bobby Young, is connected to her disappearance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: More than two weeks have passed since anyone has seen or heard from Abbi.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Abbi was last seen on June 7th at her grandmother`s house. Now since then, her parents have been scouring Huron County, passing out these flyers.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: We are taking your calls live, but now to Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids Foundation. He has devoted his life to finding missing teens, missing children.

Marc, what do you think?

MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: Well, I think that this character, obviously, has nothing but his own personal self-interest at heart. He`s disdainful of her loving parents. He doesn`t want her to be near her friends.

He didn`t even want her to go to New York, the most fabulous city in the world, and now her fabulous summer has been marginalized to the point where she`s sitting in a room somewhere, waiting for this creep to make good on his promise.

And I`m only hoping, and I`m quite sure after listening to Sergeant Fulton, that law enforcement has taken the steps necessary to intervene when she does show up to tell her everything is OK.

GRACE: To Lauren Howard, psychotherapist, joining us out of New York.

Dr. Howard, what`s concerning me right now, I -- know all about the batter`s women syndrome. I know all about controlling spouses, boyfriends, and so forth. I didn`t realize it could start so young in life.

LAUREN HOWARD, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: You know, it`s funny, Nancy, I remember you and I talking about this very subject years ago on a different program.

It requires a person to want to be over -- for their will to want to be overtaken. If your esteem -- your self-esteem is low, you allow someone in. You know it feels sort of Eleanor Roosevelt, quote, no one can make you insecure without your consent.

It`s the same thing with someone who is sort of subject to a (INAUDIBLE) kind of control. And there`s something in Abbi that allows -- has allowed someone to take control, if in fact that`s what`s occurred.

GRACE: Well, you know, back to her parents, Rose and Jim Obermiller, I do not blame any aspect of Abbi in the least, because women -- grown women that succeed in business, that succeed in all areas of their life can be victims of batterers, verbally, psychologically, physically.

Men that come in -- and it can be the reverse, but it`s rare -- and seem to take over their life. And they go, OK. But this girl, your girl has everything going for her. She`s beautiful, she`s a straight A student, she has great dreams, she`s athletic, she`s a volleyball star.

Tell me something, how did she get hooked up with this guy? And let me repeat, he is not a suspect in this case. He has not been named a person of interest. He is charged with obstructing in the case and not being honest with the police. But how did she get hooked up with this guy?

JIM OBERMILLER, PARENT OF MISSING TEEN GIRL, ABBI OBERMILLER: Well, when he first showed up, I was - I was nervous about it, because he`s 20 years old -- well, at that time 19 -- and she was only 16 then. And we allowed him to come to the house, just at the house, when we were there, and I guess I was just trying to keep the peace.

And it just moved on from there. I mean, they`d say, can we go here and can we go there, and I`d let things move on, and we before -- just before this occurred, it was -- it had just reached the point where I was telling that hey, this has got to stop.

We`ve got to -- as a matter of fact, I told him that I know that if I put a -- help me with the word, Nancy -- to keep her from seeing her, legally --

ROSE OBERMILLER, PARENT OF MISSING TEEN GIRL, ABBI OBERMILLER: Restraining. A restraining order.

GRACE: Like a protective order. A restraining order. Yes.

J. OBERMILLER: A restraining order, yes. Yes. And I`m not in law. But, you know, I`d mentioned to him, I said, if I do that or if I tell Abbi not to see you, you`re contributing. And -- but I was getting ready to talk to them. When I got back, I had to work. I mean, I do have to travel in my work. And -- but I was going to talk to them and then he just got ridiculous.

GRACE: Well, Mr. Obermiller, nobody can fault you at all because, you know, if you say no right off the bat then the teenager will try to go straight and do the exact same thing you tell them not to do.

R. OBERMILLER: Right.

GRACE: So if you slam your foot down at the get-go, you`re begging for problems. Trying to go along with it and hoping it would die on its own was probably your best maneuver.

So you actually spoke to him about weaning off, going away, taking it easy, taking a break? You spoke to him?

J. OBERMILLER: I was -- I had called him and told him that I knew that I could do all these things legally. And then later on that week, as a matter of fact, it was on Sunday, and he called me up and accused me of tampering with his car. Well, I was 1300 miles away from his car.

GRACE: Well, he sounds like a nut. He is, in fact, a person of interest. He is not a suspect. He`s a person of interest.

Mr. Obermiller, what was the lie he told police that amounted to obstruction?

J. OBERMILLER: Can you repeat that please?

GRACE: What was the lie that he told police that amounted to obstruction?

J. OBERMILLER: That he doesn`t know where she`s at? What else can it be? He -- you heard the --

R. OBERMILLER: Fulton.

J. OBERMILLER: Mr. Fulton tell you about the text messages and what they were. If he doesn`t know where she`s at or if he doesn`t at least know who she`s with, that`s a lie. I mean that --

GRACE: He led her -- he led her straight out of the house and somebody was going to pick her up. Do you think it was him, the boyfriend?

J. OBERMILLER: It was --

R. OBERMILLER: We can`t say who it was.

GRACE: OK. Do you think that someone is holding her right now?

R. OBERMILLER: Yes.

GRACE: Would she have allowed it to go this far, Miss Obermiller? Would she allow it to go this far with you two? Your hearts are just torn in half.

R. OBERMILLER: I think they`re keeping the media from her. She`s not allowed to use the fun. Otherwise, I know she would call home. She can`t get on MySpace or Facebook or whatever. Otherwise, you know, she`d at least talk to her girlfriends.

Her and her girlfriends, I mean, they`re extremely, extremely close. And she hasn`t even contacted any of them.

GRACE: Was not any girlfriends. To Pat Brown, criminal profiler and author, "The Profiler."

Pat, what do you think?

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "THE PROFILER": Well, Nancy, it looks like one of these Romeo and Juliet things, you know, where this poor girl has hooked up with a guy who seems like an extremely controlling and creepy dude to me, and might be psychopathic since he`s willing to lie blatantly to the police, I didn`t text her, when clearly he did.

And clearly he was going to meet up with her. And when a girl goes -- wants to be with a guy like that, she`s scared, she doesn`t know if she should it, but she wants to be with him, then why isn`t he with her beloved girlfriend?

You mean to tell me that he went to get her, took her some place and has abandoned her somewhere and he`s off there? That doesn`t make a lot of sense. And she`s been abandoned by him.

GRACE: You know, it doesn`t.

BROWN: And she hasn`t been around for three weeks. It doesn`t make sense.

GRACE: And I`m thinking that at this point, she wants to come home. Somewhere, if this girl is still alive, and I pray to God she is, and there are indications she is still alive, she wants to come home.

We are taking your calls. Nancy in Louisiana, hi, dear?

NANCY, CALLER FROM LOUISIANA: Hi, Nancy. I love your show.

GRACE: Hi, dear. Thank you, and hello to all my Cajun friends.

Nancy, what`s your question?

NANCY: Yes, I was wondering, he said he had a bad heart and diabetes? And has that been proven by a doctor? And also, does she have her cell phone? Can they track her that way?

GRACE: To -- back to the parents, James -- excuse me, Jim and Rose Obermiller, what`s all this business about him having a bad heart and diabetes? He`s only 21. How does he know he`s got a bad heart?

J. OBERMILLER: I heard about the diabetes. I knew nothing about the bad heart.

R. OBERMILLER: He had claimed he had an anxiety attack.

GRACE: I doubt a doctor did either. Anxiety attack?

R. OBERMILLER: That`s what he -- yes. That`s why he was at the doctors, the hospital, the day of June 7th. They said his glucose was up, but I have sugar, too, and it doesn`t affect my judgment.

GRACE: I don`t think it would affect a lie detector test, Mr. And Mrs. Obermiller.

R. OBERMILLER: No.

GRACE: And I assume the police are tracing and pinging her cell phone, correct? They got the cell phone records.

R. OBERMILLER: I think he broke the cell phone or maybe they just shut it off, but you cannot get through her phone whatsoever.

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. Randy Kessler, Atlanta, John Manuelian, L.A.

What about it, Randy Kessler? What`s your advice to this young man?

RANDY KESSLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My advice is that he`s at a fork in the road. And he can do one of two things. If he knows anything, come clean, it won`t be as hard on him. He`s got a long life to live. He`s got a choice to make. If he`s done something terrible, he needs to lawyer up, clam up, and see what kind of deal he can come up with.

But if he -- if she`s still alive --

GRACE: Right.

KESSLER: She could still be helped, he needs to do what he can now.

GRACE: What about it, Manuelian?

JOHN MANUELIAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I absolutely agree. He should not take that polygraph test. His lawyer should advise him to keep his mouth shut, stay away from --

GRACE: Yes, you two -- if it was your daughter, you wouldn`t be saying that.

(CROSSTALK)

MANUELIAN: You`re right. I have a daughter, but I`m speaking from a perspective as an attorney.

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Case of missing Abbi Obermiller
June 29, 12:48 AM Missing Persons Examiner, Jerrie

Abbi Obermiller, 17, has been missing since Jun 7, 2010 after she snuck out of her grandmother's home to run away with her 20-year-old boyfriend and her parent's believe the boyfriend's family is holding her against her will.

Her family knew that she seeing a 20-year-old boy, named Robert "Bobby" Young, that they didn't approve of. The family told reporters that Young was "very possessive" and "controlling" and wouldn't even let her talk to her friends at her prom. The family suspects they were planning to go to West Virginia to get married. They also think that Young's family is holding her against her will in either Detroit or Toledo.

Police know that Abbi left her grandmother's house after she received text messages from Young.

"It's clear he sent her text messages of when to leave the house and was aware of who was picking her up," said Norwalk Police Sgt. Jim Fulton.

The police also believe that Young may know something, and they arrested him today for refusing to talk to police about Abbi's whereabouts.

Police Chief Dave light said Young denied having any contact with Abbi, although they have records of the text messages between the two of them the night she disappeared.

Abbi Obermiller is tall and thin and 5' 10" tall with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information should contact (419) 663-6780.

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Missing Ohio Teen Found Alive After 3 Weeks
Published June 27, 2010 | FOXNews.com

Abigail Obermiller
An Ohio teenager who disappeared more than three weeks ago has been found alive by police, Fox8.com reported.

Abigail "Abbi" Obermiller, 17, of Huron County, Ohio, had last been seen around midnight on June 7 inside her grandmother's home, approximately 10 miles from her parents' residence in Norwalk.

Abbi's father, Jim Obermiller, said it was an anonymous tip that led police to Abbi, Fox8.com reported. She reportedly had been staying in an apartment that was rented by her boyfriend, 20-year-old Robert "Bobby" Young, three weeks ago in New London, Ohio.

Abbi's parents told Fox8.com that they have spoken to Abbi since she was found but have yet to be reunited.

Young was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice in the case. He had claimed not to have any knowledge about Abbi's disappearance, Fox8.com reported.

Abigail Obermiller
"I don't know where she is. I have no idea where to start," he reportedly told Fox 8.

In an interview with FoxNews.com on Sunday, Abbi's mother, Rose Obermiller, had expressed her concerns about Abbi's boyfriend. Obermiller said Young was "very possessive" and "controlling."

Rose Obermiller said that both she and her husband, James, disapproved of Young, who they say became increasingly possessive over their daughter since the couple began dating last August.

"She was upset because we didn't like her boyfriend," Overmiller said.

Police allege that Young sent Abbi a string of text messages prior to her disappearance that implicated his involvement in the case.

Young has pleaded not guilty in the case and is reportedly scheduled to appear in court on July 7.

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Thank you so much for the article, Lisette!!!! I am so Happy to hear this!! I do get the feeling "Abbi" may not be so happy in being found. Evidently, Robert had a lot of influence over her. I hope they find therapy for her. In fact, it may be good for the whole family!!

I am so happy!! Moving this to FOUND ALIVE!!! :cheering:

By CARY ASHBY - Reflector staff writer | Wednesday June 30 2010, 10:55am

Abigail “Abbi” Obermiller had been staying in a New London apartment since leaving her grandparents’ Norwalk house about three weeks ago.

Her boyfriend, Robert J. Young, 20, of 408 S. Exchange Road, New London, rented the upstairs apartment at 227 E. Main St., Norwalk Police Detective Sgt. Jim Fulton said. Obermiller was last seen at her grandparents’ 73 N. Prospect St. house about 1 a.m. June 7.

“She was there (in New London) the entire time she was missing,” Fulton said.

The Huron County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous tip early this morning that Obermiller, 17, was there and police used a search warrant about 3:30 a.m.

“We actually had to go into the attic and get her out,” Fulton said. “She was burrowed down in the insulation.”

Before authorities entered the apartment, Fulton, Chief Dave Light, two deputies, a New London police officer and a state trooper set up a parameter around the building. Fulton estimated Young had about 1 1/2 hours to get his girlfriend and all of her clothing into the attic.

Young said at first he didn’t know where his girlfriend was, but Fulton said the presence of tampons and pads in the bathroom obviously indicated Obermiller was there.

“Why would a guy have those in there if she wasn’t there?,” the detective said rhetorically.

“He would not cooperate in the least,” Light said. “He maintained the same smug, arrogant attitude he’s had throughout the investigation.”

Young currently is in custody at the Huron County Jail on misdemeanor charges of contributing to the unruliness of a minor, obstruction of official business and falsification. Obermiller is scheduled to appear at a shelter-care hearing at 11:30 today in Huron County Juvenile Court.

Keep checking back at the Reflector Web site for updates on this breaking story.

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This guy is a complete ass!!!!!! Thank God they found her before he really harmed her!!

Wow do you hug her or ground her for the rest of her natural life?

How does a nice girl and family ever get involved with a creep like that.

Amazing.

NEW LONDON

After spending more than three weeks holed up in a New London apartment with no air-conditioning or running water, 17-year-old Abbi Obermiller had a tearful reunion with her parents in court on Wednesday.

Police found the North Fairfield teen less than 12 miles from her home, hiding in an attic at 2271/2 E. Main St.

Her boyfriend, Robert J. "Bobby" Young, 20, rented the apartment about the same time Abbi's grandparents reported her missing June 7 from their house in Norwalk.

Young is in Huron County jail facing charges of falsification and obstructing official business. Abbi was taken to the Erie County detention center after a brief hearing, Huron County juvenile court administrator Chris Mushett said.

Abbi faces an unruly charge and a delinquency charge of obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Her disappearance attracted national attention, with her parents pleading for help on TV networks including HLN and CNN in an interview with Nancy Grace.

Officials received an anonymous tip from someone who saw Young coming and going from the apartment late at night. The tipster noticed the windows were always closed and blinds down, even in the daytime heat.

Police had already been monitoring the apartment.

Norwalk police and Huron County Sheriff's deputies obtained a warrant and forced their way through the door early Wednesday after no one answered.

When they questioned Young inside the apartment, he became defensive, saying he'd had no contact with Abbi and didn't know why police were harassing him, sheriff's Capt. Ted Patrick said.

Police continued to search the house and discovered Abbi huddled in the attic.

She and her boyfriend were using 2-gallon jugs of water to drink and flush the toilet.

"That's a rough three weeks, as far as I'm concerned," New London police Chief Michael Marko said.

Jim Obermiller, Abbi's father, said it was an emotional time for him, his wife and Abbi's six older siblings, but they're all relieved to know she's safe.

"I think she's sorry she ever started this," he said.

The Obermillers talked with Abbi briefly at the New London police station, but had a longer visit with her after the court hearing.

Although police received tips from people who believed they saw Abbi around New London, she told her parents she'd never left the apartment.

Her boyfriend left her there alone for days at a time, she told them, with a cell phone that had no batteries and a TV set that wasn't hooked up. She had no contact with the outside world and hadn't seen the local and national news reports about her, Jim said.

In the meantime, Young reportedly stayed at his sister's apartment and allowed officials to search it at one point.

Red flags

Abbi and Young started dating last August, after meeting through a family friend. Their first meeting, in fact, was at the Huron County Fair.

Jim Obermiller said Young seemed nice at the time. He went to church, played baseball and was involved in a youth group.

Jim and Rose were a little concerned about the age difference between them -- Young was 19 then, and Abbi only 16 -- but they allowed them to go out to movies or baseball games.

But Abbi's parents grew concerned as the dates became longer and more frequent.

Soon, Abbi was spending more time with him than with her friends, whom Young didn't like. And Young didn't approve of a trip Abbi took to New York with friends from her choir.

"He was constantly trying to separate her from friends and family," Jim said.

When the Obermillers tried to limit the time Abbi spent with Young, she rebelled.

On May 27, the last day of school, she started staying at her grandparents' house on Prospect Street in Norwalk.

Police traced text messages between her and her boyfriend in the hours before she left the house early on June 7.

The two appeared to be arranging for someone to pick Abbi up and take her to New London. But after she first disappeared, investigators found no activity from her cell phone.

Her family and friends grew increasingly worried.

On Father's Day, they hosted a prayer vigil for her at South Central High School in Greenwich. Abbi had just finished her junior year there and was a straight-A student who dreamed of becoming an oncologist.

As she spent her days locked away in the apartment, she thought about her family and considered calling one of her older sisters, she told her parents Wednesday.

Abbi told her parents Young tried to convince her to cut her hair, dye it blonde and run away with him to Detroit, where he had friends.

"She told him no, she wasn't going to do that," Jim said. "But as much sway as he's had over her, I don't know if she might have eventually gone."

Back to normal

After the Obermillers plastered posters around town and word of Abbi's disappearance spread throughout the country, friends and neighbors were relieved to hear she'd been found.

"I'm just thankful she's not hurt," said Stephanie Blair, a family friend. "People were starting to have their doubts."

No one was home Wednesday afternoon at the Obermiller's quaint home on East Main Street in North Fairfield, where wind chimes and baskets of purple pansies hung from the porch, but several cars were parked along the street.

Television appearances and dozens of calls kept the family busy.

"I'm glad to hear she's safe," neighbor Jewell Lewis said. "We were all starting to worry."

No one was home at the duplex where Young and Abbi had stayed, and a phone number for Young's mother in Norwalk had been disconnected.

Although Abbi's parents want her to face consequences for her actions, they said they want to see her go back to her life as a typical teenager as soon as possible.

In the meantime, they'll visit her once a week in the detention home.

Abbi's friends and teachers will play an important role in helping to restore normalcy to her life in the months to come, Jim said.

"The police and the media did their work; now it's time for the school and counselors to do theirs," he said. "Our goal is to get her back on the right track. I really don't want to lock her down ... she's a young woman, but there's still some little girl left in her."

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I can't imagine this. Jeanne, I know you are in the next state over but the heat has been bad and she was in an attic? Heat rises..and she is a tall girl. Unreal what these boys can talk a teen girl in to.