Girl found in NY claims no memory of name, home, family

Girl found in NY claims no memory of name, home, family
# Story Highlights
# "I just want to know who I am," girl says, according to children's services agency
# She's described as 5', 6" tall, "very soft-spoken"; doctors say she's 14 to 17 years old
# Girl was found in midtown Manhattan early October 9 outside youth shelter
# Agency says girl recently wrote down the name "Amber" and has responded to it


The teen has recalled an excerpt from the fantasy novel "Fool's Fate" by Robin Hobb.


NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a teenage girl who mysteriously turned up in Manhattan two weeks ago, claiming to have no memory of her family, her home -- or even her own name.

"I just want to know who I am," the girl says in a statement released by the New York City Administration for Children's Services. The teen, who is being referred to as Jane Doe, continues, "I want to know who I am and what happened to me."

The Caucasian young woman, described by New York ACS as "very soft-spoken," is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, light-skinned, with short, straight, cropped blond hair and blue eyes. Doctors are estimating her age to be between 14 and 17.

ACS Commissioner John B. Mattingly appealed to the public in a statement, "asking anyone who may know this young woman to help us locate her family as quickly as possible, so we can safely reunite her with those who love her."

The girl was found in midtown Manhattan around 12:30 a.m. October 9 outside the Covenant House youth shelter, although the organization tells CNN that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility.

According to its Web site, with nearly 7,000 youths seeking shelter per year, "Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth."

A security guard for the shelter noticed the girl walking around on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department.

Police officers interviewed the young woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. The NYPD said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered.

Children's Services says the girl recently wrote down the name "Amber" and has responded to it on one occasion, but she has no idea whether it's her name.

On another occasion, she is said to have recalled certain words, which turned out to be an excerpt from the fantasy novel "Fool's Fate" by Robin Hobb. The girl is also apparently writing a fantasy story of her own that features a heroine named Rian "who's been raised by the commander of the guard post on the edge of a fantasy kingdom," the young woman said.

While the girl is confused and her story remains vague, Mattingly said, "she is safe with us, and we are doing all we can to help her, but she needs to find her family."

She is apparently reviewing materials for a high school GED exam, saying that she is able to do the math but has no recollection of studying the history and science portions. However, according to the Children's Services statement, the young woman "can easily retain the information."

New York City Administration for Children's Services and police are asking anyone with information about the young woman or her family to contact the NYPD Missing Persons Squad at 212-694-7781 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Officials Identify Teen With No Memory

(Oct. 24) -- Authorities have identified a teenager believed to be suffering from amnesia who was found on the streets of New York two weeks ago.
Police say a CNN viewer in Maryland identified the young woman, who mysteriously turned up in Manhattan two weeks ago, claiming to have no memory of her family, her home or even her own name.
The 18-year-old, whose name was not released, is being reunited with her family in Washington state, New York Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said.

A photo of the woman, who has been referred to as Jane Doe, was circulated by police and aired on CNN this week. The viewer in Maryland was familiar with her situation and knew she had been missing from her family earlier this month.
The girl was found in Midtown Manhattan around 12:30 a.m. October 9 outside the Covenant House youth shelter, although the organization said that she was not a resident at the time and did not appear as if she intended to seek refuge at the facility.
"I just want to know who I am," the girl said in a statement from the New York City Administration for Children's Services. "I want to know who I am and what happened to me."

According to its Web site, "Covenant House New York is the nation's largest adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth." Nearly 7,000 youths reportedly seek shelter there per year.
A security guard for the shelter noticed the girl walking on the sidewalk near Covenant House and approached her. Finding her unresponsive, he called the New York City Police Department.
Police officers interviewed the young woman, but it became clear that she couldn't provide authorities with any information about herself. The police said she was wearing military green camouflage pants, a black shirt and a pair of black sneakers when she was discovered.
The children's services agency said the girl recently wrote down the name "Amber" and has responded to it on one occasion, but she has no idea whether it is her true name.
On another occasion she is said to have recalled certain words, which turned out to be an excerpt from the fantasy novel "Fool's Fate" by Robin Hobb. The girl also is apparently writing a fantasy story of her own that features a heroine named Rian, "who's been raised by the commander of the guard post on the edge of a fantasy kingdom," the young woman said.
Judging from her poor dental hygiene, said Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, she appeared to have been living on the streets for some time.

I'm glad someone recognized her so quickly. I wonder what this girl has been through and how long she's been on the streets. Happy to hear she's back with her family and getting help.

I'm sure this poor girl must have gone through something very traumatic for her to lose her memory. It's good to know that her family has been found, and that she's been reunited with them. Finally, a story with a happy ending.

Im glad she is home.. The fact that she had been missing for 2 wks makes me wonder why a missing persons report didnt make the news??? From the sounds of it, someone identified her an a known missing person ..That leads me to believe she was reported missing.... Im wondering why NG or JVM didnt get wind of this, and offer some airtime.
I wish HLN wud use their airtime more productivley instead of beating to death storied like the Ballon Boy, who is amongst his family and being investigated.. Why dont they use the airtime to help, find the missing and get stories out there? There are cleary enough missing ppl oyut there who cud benefit by exposure???

I'm glad the girl is home safe. AJ, I think HLN does more than any other network with the missing, but I wish they would do more. They mostly seem to cover stories where the missing person was most likely abducted by a stranger and/or killed. If it is a possible runaway, or a parental abduction, then the case doesn't seem to get as much coverage by them.

I also wish they would stop shoving the Balloon Boy story down our throats. I lost interest around the time it became obvious it was a hoax.