A multi-state search is in motion for a North Carolina teen, Destinie Desire, who vanished after school and is now believed to be in the Atlanta area, as indicated by local law enforcement agencies.

Desire, 17, initially reported missing in her hometown of Albermarle, North Carolina, was last seen at West Stanly High School shortly before the school day's end on May 1. According to Atlanta police, the search has honed in on Atlanta, where the teen is thought to be linked to a device traced in the vicinity of 14th Street NW and Northside Drive NW. While family members confirmed she lives with a cognitive impairment, the Stanly County Sheriff's Office issued a statement that Desire failed to return home, caring deeply that she may have been communicating with someone online prior to her disappearance.

Fox 5 Atlanta stated that the teen was last observed donning a red hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and carrying a bookbag. The nature of the "device" associated with Desire remains undisclosed by the Atlanta Police Department, leaving unresolved questions in this ongoing investigation.

Atlanta authorities and the Stanly County Sheriff's Office, combining forces, have issued a critical missing person alert for Desire. While offering scant detail, police implore anyone with information on Desire's whereabouts to reach out. Wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and a bookbag, as reported by WSBTV, she represents an endangered youth at risk, desiring to learn of her safe return.

Concerned citizens with knowledge of Destinie Desire's whereabouts are urged to contact the Stanly County Sheriff's Office at (704) 986-3700, dial 9-1-1, or call the Atlanta Police Department at 404-546-4235. With hopes running high and the clock ticking, law enforcement and loved ones await any information that can lead to her recovery and shed light on the mysterious circumstances of her disappearance.