DA Shares Update on Missing Northampton Co. Teen

More than two months after a Northampton County teenager was last seen, authorities say they are still hopeful she will be found safe and ultimately reunited with her family.

Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta’s office shared that message Wednesday in a news release about 14-year-old Enci “Aubrey” Wu of Palmer Township, who was reported missing by her parents on Friday, Jan. 10, and was last seen in the vicinity of Macarthur Road in Whitehall, Lehigh County, the following day. According to Palmer Township Police, she was last seen in the area of Parkland High School, which is about two miles west of Macarthur Road in South Whitehall Township.

Authorities have described Wu as a runaway. Palmer Police say she left home sometime after 6:28 p.m. Jan. 10, while her parents were asleep, and subsquently stayed at another home “temporarily” before leaving the area.

“Allegedly, Ms. Wu’s intent was to leave the Lehigh Valley,” the district attorney’s office said Wednesday, adding that when she was last seen “she was seeking transportation and/or funds from strangers.”

There have been no confirmed sightings of Wu since Jan. 11, 2025, according to police.

Wu’s status as a missing person has been elevated via social media groups and online amateur sleuths who have tried to help locate her by sharing updates with the public. However, the district attorney’s office noted that “there is inaccurate information spreading online regarding (her) disappearance.”

The office said it is “cautiously optimistic that this matter will remain a non-criminal investigation” and stressed “that every measure is being taken to locate Ms. Wu and return her to her parents.”

In addition to the district attorney’s office and the Palmer Township Police Department, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem, the Pennsylvania State Police Intelligence Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are supporting the investigation into her disappearance. The DA’s office said various non-law enforcement agencies are also assisting law enforcement agencies by monitoring social media sites.

According to a flyer recirculated by Palmer Township Police Wednesday, Enci Wu is approximately 5 feet tall, weighs 145 pounds and has hazel eyes and black hair. When she was seen on surveillance video leaving home, she was reportedly wearing a navy blue sweater with red on the sleeves and light-colored pants, and carrying a small overnight bag. When she was last seen, police said she was wearing a grey Nirvana hoodie, black yoga pants and white Billie Eilish sneakers.

Police said Wu was also in possession of a “secret cellular phone” that she disposed of at some point.

Anyone with information about Enci Wu or her whereabouts is being asked to contact Palmer Township Police by calling the Northampton County non-emergency dispatch line at 610-759-2200 or 911. Tips can also be submitted online via Crimewatch.