The Disappearance of Katelin Akens

On December 5, 2015, Katelin Michelle Akens went missing from Springfield, Virginia. The last person believed to see her is her former stepfather, James Branton. Almost five years later, Katelin remains missing with few leads.

(image: Patch.com)

Katelin lived with her fiancee in Arizona and went home to Spotsylvania, Virginia, in December 2015 to visit her family. Little did they know this was the last time they would see her.

Katelin’s mother, Lisa, entrusted Branton, her ex-husband and Katelin’s former stepfather to take her daughter to the airport. At approximately 1:52 p.m., Branton text messaged Lisa that Katelin had been dropped off at Regan National Airport and a few minutes later, Katelin text messaged her mother that her phone was low on battery and couldn’t talk.

Nothing about this seemed suspicious, but, Katelin’s fiancee, Amber received a text message from her phone saying that she’s not coming home and something had come up.

Amber contacted Lisa, who told Amber Branton dropped Katelin off at the airport. However, upon investigation, it was found that Katelin never boarded her flight to Arizona.

Around 7:15 p.m., Lisa received a series of suspicious text messages from Katelin that said that she “just wanted to be left alone.” That is the last time that anyone heard from Katelin.

Two days later, police found Katelin’s luggage in a ditch about 50 miles away from the airport. The luggage contained her wallet, ID, money, and debit cards, but her clothes were missing and so was her high school diploma.

What do authorities believe happened?

The police do not believe that Katelin Akens left on her own, nor do they think she committed suicide. Katelin had no history of mental illness or disappearing. Family said that this is uncharacteristic of Katelin. She was excited to start cosmetology school in Arizona.

The last place that Katelin was seen was Branton’s house. Though the case is considered unsolved and Katelin is missing under suspicious circumstances, many believe that Branton is responsible for her disappearance. A few things may contribute to this theory:

Katelin’s luggage was found only a few miles from Branton’s home.

Police traced the suspicious text messages from Katelin’s cell phone. The pings showed the messages were sent close to Branton’s home.

Branton refuses to cooperate with authorities. He won’t allow them to search his cell phone or home. He also would not take a polygraph test.

Branton has a second property, but police are unable to get a warrant because his mother occupies the premises. Continue reading

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