A 12-year-old Willits girl is missing and her family is concerned that she could possibly be in the custody of a mentally unstable family member. Authorities are investigating.
Danielle Mercado told us her niece Payton Maxfield left her Willits home around 7:00 p.m. last night and went to a neighbor’s house asking for “a ride to her “dad’s” house after telling the woman that her dad forgot to pick her up from school.”
According to Mercado, the neighbor gave her a ride and dropped her at a home that actually belonged to a family member “who lost visitation rights over 4 years ago”, Mercado told us.”
This afternoon, Maxfield’s father and police went to the home and no one was there.
Mercado and family are particularly concerned for the well-being of Maxfield because there are questions about the mental stability of the family member she is currently with.
Interim Willits Police Chief James Conner offered no comment when we inquired seeing as his officers were still in the preliminary stages of the investigation.
Payton Maxfield is approximately 90 pounds and 5’ 1”. She has blonde, curly hair, and hazel eyes. The family is unsure at this point what she was last wearing before going missing.
If anyone has information about the location of Payton Maxfield, reach out to the Willits Police Department at (707)459-6122
UPDATE 6:55 p.m.: Danielle Mercado, the missing girl’s aunt, told us Payton Maxfied is possibly being driven in a small grey Nissan (no specifics as to the model). Mercado also shared that the “people we believe she’s with frequently go to San Francisco and they live in Klamath Falls.”
UPDATE 10:09 p.m.: We’re excited to share that Payton Maxfield has been found and is safe. Her aunt Danielle Mercado told us police received a tip about the girl’s location and successfully took her under their care. Maxfield is currently under the care of Child Protective Services waiting to go home.
