Parents Search for Missing Daughter

Lois Bowens last saw her 15-year-old daughter, Jenniffer Rose Vernals, on Saturday.

Jenniffer went out for a day of shopping in downtown Ventura and has been missing ever since.

“It’s a mother’s worst nightmare come true,” Bowens said.

Jenniffer was last seen about 1 p.m. Saturday at the True Bloods Thrift Shop on East Main Street in Ventura. She had just bought a shirt, a pair of pants and some incense, her mother said.

Since Saturday, Bowens and her husband have blanketed Ventura looking for their daughter, a student at Anacapa Middle School.

“We’ve talked to her friends and no one has seen her or knows where she is,” Bowens said.

The Ventura Police Department has entered Jenniffer’s name and picture into a nationwide database for missing children.

“The reason we do that is if she’s stopped in Sacramento, Las Vegas or New York City and she gives them her name, it will pop up as a missing person and they’ll be able to hold her until arrangements can be made to get her back to her parents,” said Sgt. Gary McCaskill.

Because there is no evidence of foul play, the police are treating Jenniffer’s disappearance as a runaway, McCaskill said.

Meanwhile, the Bowenses are continuing to post leaflets with their daughter’s picture, requesting information on her whereabouts.

“We just hope someone will remember her face and be able to tell us where she is,” Bowens said.

Jenniffer was last seen wearing a long, black T-shirt and jeans. She has brown eyes, brown hair with blond highlights and some red coloring in it, her mother said.

She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weights about 125 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Ventura Police Department at 339-4427, or the Bowens family at 644-6592.