LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Sixteen-year-old Riley Monk has been missing since Nov. 15, when he was last seen leaving his mother’s house.
His mother, Amber Monk, has been tirelessly searching for him and is now seeking the community’s help.
“I really can’t believe he’s been gone this long,” she said.
Amber has been looking for Riley for two weeks, expressing her disbelief and hope that he would return any minute.
Riley is described as six feet tall and 240 pounds.
“Everyone that gets to know him says he’s a gentle giant, very sweet,” Amber said.
She believes Riley’s love for video games may have played a role in his disappearance, suspecting he was influenced by people he interacted with on gaming apps.
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“For him to run away, it’s just very out of character for how he normally is, and that’s why I really feel like he was influenced by the people he was talking to on the gaming apps,” she said.
The National Center for Missing and Endangered Children notes that runaways are the most common reports of missing children, with online platforms often playing a significant role.
Amber fears Riley may have left under pretenses and is now unable to return.
“I’m worried now he’s found himself in a position where he can’t come home, and that’s my biggest fear at this moment,” she said.
Despite her fears, Amber remains hopeful. “I miss him so much, and I haven’t given up hope or faith that he’ll come home,” she said, adding that she continues to prepare for Christmas as they had planned.
Amber urges other parents to be vigilant about their children’s online interactions as she searches for her son.
The National Center for Missing and Endangered Children released a poster to share in hopes of finding Riley.