A 17-year-old girl has been missing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, since mid-August, and local authorities are asking residents to come forward with any information that could help bring her home.
Otisha Richards was last seen on August 16, 2026, around 10:30 p.m. on Belhaven Road in Fayetteville.
She was reported missing the following day, August 17. According to the missing person alert shared by Missing People In America, Richards stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. At the time she disappeared, she was wearing a cream-colored jogging suit paired with pink shoes.
Nearly a month has passed since Richards was last seen, and as of now, no updates on her location or condition have been made public. Cases involving missing teenagers often depend heavily on tips from the community, since small details, like where someone was last spotted or who they were with, can make the difference in an investigation.
Authorities Urge Public to Share Any Leads
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is leading the search for Richards. Detective Sergeant Bennett, who works with the Special Victims and At-Risk Youth unit, is overseeing the case and is asking anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to reach out directly. Tips can be submitted by calling 910-677-5462.
Missing People In America, the organization that first publicized Richards’ case online, says it only shares cases that have been verified through official channels. The group maintains what it describes as the nation’s largest interactive database of missing persons, and Richards’ entry has been added to that registry for continued tracking and public visibility.
Community members in Fayetteville and across Cumberland County have been sharing the post widely on social media under hashtags like #FindOtishaRichards, hoping to widen the reach of her photo and description. Missing person advocates note that the first several weeks after a disappearance are often the most critical window for gathering useful leads, since memories and evidence tend to fade the longer a case goes unresolved.
Anyone with information about Otisha Richards is urged not to wait; even small or seemingly unimportant details can be reported to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 910-677-5462.
Investigators continue to treat the case as active and are asking the public to stay alert for her description while she remains missing.
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