JUSTIN ZUBOVIC-14yo and ALEXIS MESIEMORE-12yo - Carteret (NE of Jacksonville) NC

Authorities in Carteret County are seeking information on the whereabouts of two runaway teens, officials said in a missing person alert issued Tuesday afternoon.Justin Zubovic, 14, of Morehead City and Alexis Mesiemore, 12 of Atlantic Beach left home at around 9 Monday evening and were seen leaving the Mandy Farms area of Morehead City, officials with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office and the Atlantic Beach Police Department said.Neither child has been heard from since Monday.Sgt. Erica Alvarado of the Atlantic Beach Police Department stressed the authorities are interested only in making sure the children get home safely.“These kids have not done anything wrong. We’re concerned for their health and safety. They are 12 and 14 and out there on their own. We just need to know where they are,” she said.Alvarado said Alexis left her house in Atlantic Beach around 6:30 or 7 p.m. Monday night and didn’t return.She apparently went to a pay phone and called Justin, who rode his bike to meet her in Atlantic Beach. From there, they took a cab across the bridge to around 24th Street in Morehead City and made it to Justin’s house in the Mandy Farms area before disappearing, Alvarado said.Authorities in Carteret County have sought the help of friends of the teens and any others who may have information on their location.Judy and Ronnie Zebovic, Justin’s grandparents, said they have no idea why their grandson would run away, but they hope he will come home.“We just want to tell him we love him and we want him to come home,” Judy Zebovic said. “We miss him.”Justin is described as a white male with dark hair, 5 feet 8 inches tall and approximately 130 pounds. Alexis, who goes by Lexi, is described as a white female, 4 feet 7 inches tall and approximately 97 pounds.Lexi’s mother, Chrissy Mesiemore, said she wants her daughter to know she is not angry.“She doesn’t have to come home if she doesn’t want to, just let her call me or call somebody to let us know she’s alright,” Mesiemore said. “At this point, that’s all I can really hope for.”Mesiemore said she has been in contact with Lexi’s friends through text message and Facebook, but no one has been able to tell her where her daughter is.“They are trying as hard as they can, considering they are young and their best friend is gone,” she said, holding back tears. “They’re doing the best they can to give me whatever they’ve got.”She asked that the public keep their eyes open and pray for her, Alexis and Justin.“That’s all I’ve got. I don’t have anything else,” she said. “I just want her safe.”Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Justin and Alexis is asked to call the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office at 252-504-4800, the Atlantic Beach Police Department at 252-726-2523 or your local law enforcement agency.Anonymous sightings of missing persons can also be reported to Carteret County Crime Stoppers at 252-726-INFO (4636) or crimetips@carteretcountygov.org.

Runaways found
September 30, 2010 9:35 AM
Updated at 7:28 p.m.

Two Carteret County youth who ran away from their homes this week are back with parents grateful to those who helped locate them.

“Thank you to all of those people that helped, they are a blessing. There were friends and family and people we didn’t even know,” said Chrissy Mesiemore. “They are home, they are safe, they are beautiful.”

Alexis Mesiemore, 12, of Atlantic Beach and boyfriend Justin Zubovic, 14, of Morehead City were located by a Raleigh police officer following up on information regarding the teens, who had been spotted Wednesday in the vicinity of Falls of Neuse Road and Interstate 540, said department spokesman Jim Sughrue.

Sughrue said the youth were found in a wooded area behind an apartment complex near the intersection of Gresham Lake Road and Capital Boulevard. The area is in the vicinity of where they had been seen after the stolen truck they were in broke down or ran out of gas.

Lexie left home Monday night after an argument with her mother and the youth headed to the Raleigh area in the truck after leaving Carteret County.

Chrissy Mesiemore said they understand there are consequences and the families plan to repay any loss or damages.

What she focused on Thursday was having her daughter and Justin safely back home and moving forward.

“They are two kids who made a mistake,” she said. “That is what life is about, lessons learned. We just want to move forward in a positive direction.”

The Atlantic Beach Police Department and Carteret County Sheriff’s Office worked together on the case.

Further information from authorities in Carteret County was not immediately available.
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